Stand or Burn
by jazzerciser
Summary: Prudence Turner has lived her whole life in the shadows of others, bound by her fears. With a mother who's locked inside of her own mind and an alcoholic father, she was left from the age of 3 to forge her own path. She reaches her final year of school minus her only friend, Cedric Diggory with the intent to return to anonymity, but George Weasley has other plans.
1. There's Irony in Anonymity

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JKR! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1 – There's Irony in Anonymity**

I frowned as I slowly made my way out of the Great Hall, the raucous students swirling around me as they jabbered on about their summers or what happened on the train ride or how much they were going to drink during this upcoming weekend.

Hadn't they noticed that Hagrid wasn't here? Hadn't they heard the Sorting Hat's new song? And didn't they just hear what our new Defense professor had just said? The Ministry was infiltrating Hogwarts. Why would Fudge do that? Did he not trust Dumbledore? Was this because of what had happened to Cedric?

My heart shifted uncomfortably in my chest as I remembered the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Cedric was one of the few people at school that would actually make an effort to talk to me. He hadn't cared if his friends laughed when he sat down next to me during breakfast, and he would always tell me to come see his quidditch matches. He'd even invite me to study with him in the library.

I breathed a sigh of relief once I had made it into the Entrance Hall. I always hated the traffic jam that swelled when everyone tried to leave the feast at the same time…I didn't much care for crowds. All those people in the same place, talking at once? It made me nervous to say the least.

I peeled off to the left, turning down the corridor towards my common room. I saw students sneaking off into the dimly lit halls, no doubt to drink and snog, and spotted my own two dormmates, Grace and Noel, among them. I would have the room to myself for a good two hours.

As I came up to the stack of barrels, a redheaded figure suddenly tumbled out of the kitchens, shoving me against the wall. I caught my bearings as three small boys sprinted past, yelling about going to steal someone's knickers.

"Sorry!"

Slowly, I turned my head to face George Weasley, or was it Fred? Either way, both of them were standing in front of me, looking sheepish.

"What were you doing? You're not allowed to go in there," I stated, trying my best to assert authority into my voice.

The twin standing furthest from me raised his eyebrows in shock. "Hey! She can talk!"

"Fred, shut up!" The one who had jostled me, who must have been George, elbowed his brother. "So sorry for him and terribly sorry for bumping into you, madame."

I ignored his gallant bow, unamused by his antics. "I could dock points, you know."

Both of them stopped for a moment to peer at the shiny, gold Prefect's badge that was placed on my robes. "Ah," George said with a solemn nod. "So you could. But I would like to argue my case here, if you don't mind, you see-"

Being stared at by two of the most infamous people in the school so intently was starting to make me sweat. "You know what?" I interrupted. "I'm not going to. First night back and all. So uh, good night!"

Without looking back at either of them, I dashed down the hall to the barrels, tapped the correct one to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff, and all but dove through the tunnel it created. As soon as the passageway was sealed once more and my feet hit the thick, brown rug that I'd come to associate with home, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I made my way over to the hallway that led to the various dormitories, completely unsurprised as no one so much as looked up at me. I didn't have any friends here, mainly acquaintances. In first year, everyone had been so eager to meet one another, and had formed all these clusters of people that, over the years, had become close mates. Me, on the other hand, had been so terrified of the strangers I was surrounded by, that I had spent the entire train ride in the loo with a book, Tuck Everlasting to be exact.

At the Welcome Back Feast, I had been nodded at politely and congratulated by a few of my new housemates, but I had immediately buried my face in my book as the sorting continued, afraid to even look up for fear of catching someone's eye. I _had _made an attempt to speak to the other two girls that had been sorted along with me, but I was so shy and awkward that I couldn't even tell them my name. They'd declared me a freak and spent the night showing one another their lip gloss collections.

So, the years dragged on and I became more and more accustomed to being alone. I honestly didn't mind. It meant that I got a lot of reading done, and I never had to stay up late to do my homework, because it was usually finished before dinner. With a sigh of contentment, I shut and locked the door to my dormitory behind me, releasing my satchel on my bed. It was the one furthest from the bathroom, as Grace and Noel had claimed the others in first year, but I didn't mind, because it was right next to a window that overlooked the quidditch pitch.

Despite my fear of heights, the sport fascinated me. I'd played football when I was younger, but had always been too busy thinking about whatever book I was currently reading to focus much on the game. Quidditch was different though. It was so fast-paced, it was unbelievable how swiftly and fearlessly the players moved. I'd loved watching Cedric play, because he always looked so happy up in the air. And he was always so modest when he caught the snitch.

I wandered into the bathroom and turned on the faucet to the shower, allowing the heat to fog up the mirror as I slowly undressed, depositing my various bottles of soap and shampoo onto the shelf. This is what I always did the first night back. I would shower, unpack, then curl up in bed with the curtains drawn, reading until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I liked routines. They were safe. And certain.

Once out of the shower, I brushed out my hair and settled into my usual pajamas of a hole-filled, gray jumper and white cotton pants, and nestled under my covers with my copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. It was my favorite, and would have fallen apart years ago had it not been for a bit of magic at the binding. As I picked back up with the Ewells, I heard the door unlock.

The lights were turned back on and whoever it was sniffed a few times, muffling tears as they quietly entered the bathroom. She was alone? And crying? Gently I peeled back my hangings, noticing the satchel that had been tossed on the bed next to mine; Grace.

I slid out of bed and made my way over to the locked, mahogany door. I knocked. "Grace? Is everything all right?"

The tap immediately turned on. "What? Oh, I'm fine! I just stubbed my toe is all." Her voice was thick with tears.

For a moment my words caught in my throat as I contemplated why I was even standing there. Then I steeled my nerves. "I know we're not friends, but if you want to talk…I'm a pretty good listener. Not a great talker, but, you know that…" I mumbled the last part to myself and turned to head back to my bed.

The door slowly opened behind me. "Do you mind?"

"No! No, of course not." I tucked my damp hair behind my ear and observed her unkempt blonde hair and smudged makeup.

Almost nervously, Grace settled herself on her bed opposite me. "It's just…it's Noel. She's been distant this whole summer. You know we only hung out once? And that was right after school let out, in June. Turns out it's because she's been seeing Patrick Bagby."

My eyes widened. Grace had fancied Patrick since third year. "Do you think she knew that you liked him?" I asked timidly.

"Oh yeah, she knew," Grace sniffed bitterly. Her sparkly, purple nails shredded the tissue in her hands. "She did it to get back at me for snogging Martin Applebee last spring, but _he _kissed me! And we were playing Spin the Bottle."

I remembered the blowout that had happened. They hadn't realized I was in my bed when they'd started having a go at one another. I learned quite a bit about both of them; mainly, that they had snogged a lot of boys.

My fingers traced the paisley pattern of my bedsheets. "Well…have you talked with her about this? You know, tried to listen to her side of the story?"

"Her side of the story is that she's a slut!" she burst out shrilly.

I pursed my lips. "Perhaps she fancies him too. She might not have ever told you, because she was afraid it might upset you. And she's probably really sorry."

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "I don't care. You don't do that to a friend! You just don't! If someone that was _your _friend tried to do that to the boy that _you _fancied, would you be all right with it?"

Well, I had no friends, and Cedric was… But I guess if I did, then I wouldn't much like it. "No," I whispered, fighting back the sobs that I could feel climbing up my throat.

"Exactly," Grace said quietly, and without any satisfaction. There was a knock on the door.

"Grace? I know you're in there. Will you please come out, so we can talk? Just let me explain!" More knocking. "Grace!"

She looked at me uncertainly. "…should I go?"

I was taken aback. Not only was she confiding in me, she was asking for my opinion. I considered it. On one hand, if Grace was angry with Noel, perhaps she would start sitting with me at meals and in classes, and I could finally have a friend. On the other hand, if the two were fighting all year, it would be a very uncomfortable sleeping environment. I nodded.

"All right," she muttered, smoothing out her skirt and flicking back her hair as she stood and walked over to the door. "Thanks Prudence."

I gave a small smile, and closed my hangings as she closed the door.

Their voices faded as they headed back towards the common room, and I picked up my book once more, only to find out that I wasn't able to concentrate on the words. I was suddenly overcome with memories of Cedric…the way he'd looked walking down the corridor, so confidently, with his smile pasted on his face as he made his way to Charms class…him tutoring first years in the library, his brow crinkled and his fingers blackened with ink. He was so kind. He was just a genuine person. You didn't find someone like that very often. I couldn't believe that he wasn't here with us, laughing in the common room or getting ready for bed in his dormitory. He wasn't head boy this year; instead, Charles Goldstein took his place. Martin Applebee was now our quidditch captain.

I folded up on my side, placing my book and wand onto my bedside table. I wondered how Cho Chang was doing. I hadn't seen her at the feast, although I hadn't really been looking. I'd mostly been staring at the space next to Patrick and Martin that was left empty. Perhaps Cedric was the reason that Professor Umbridge was at our school. Did this mean that Minister Fudge was actually concerned about You-Know-Who? Did he believe that he was back, like Harry Potter said?

The thought was too awful to bear. He had done so much damage the first time. A second period of terror under his reign sent a shock of fear down my spine. I shook my head of my ridiculous thoughts and screwed my eyes shut tightly, concentrating on sleep.

I was the first one awake the next morning. I hadn't heard Grace or Noel come back last night, but both of their hangings were closed, so I tiptoed over to the bathroom, where I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I had already dressed and packed my bag with all of my books and supplies when Noel emerged from her bed, her strawberry blonde hair somehow looking perfect and her skin flawless.

"Oh, it's just you," she muttered, brushing past me into the loo.

I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else. I cautiously made my way to the Great Hall. I always made an effort to get there before it was packed, because I hated walking in while nearly everyone else was already sitting down. Just the thought of it gave me the chills. Thankfully, there were only a handful of people seated, so I picked a spot near the end of the Hufflepuff table out of the way and began making myself a cup of tea.

Once I had my tea and a plate of toast in front of me, I dragged my book from my satchel.

"Miss Turner," a voice said from behind me. "Would you like me to give you your schedule now?"

I turned to find Professor Sprout. I smiled. She was my favorite teacher. She never picked me to answer questions if my hand wasn't up, which it never was, and always said hello to me in the corridors. Not to mention she had excused me from prefect duties last term after the tournament. "Oh, yes please!"

"Are you still thinking about becoming a healer?" she asked, her brusque voice laced with hope.

I nodded and shoved my hair behind my shoulder. "Yes."

She gave me a small smile of approval. "All right, I see no problems with your grades from last year. This puts you in Potions, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Is there anything else you would like to take?"

"I'd quite like to take Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Astronomy again," I said quietly, taking a sip from my cup of tea.

Professor Sprout tapped her wand on the parchment a few more times before handing it to me. "There you are. Now, if you feel like this work load gets to be too much for you along with your prefect duties, you come and find me, all right?"

As I nodded, she moved down the table to a group of fourth years. Today I had double Potions, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and DADA. Not too bad. It was tomorrow I dreaded. I had double Charms, Astronomy, Muggle Studies, and Herbology. Though I loved Professor Sprout, I loathed the filthy, lethal plants and their ridiculous names. I had also never been very good at Charms. It wasn't my strong suit.

With a sigh, I decided to head down to the Potions room. It never hurt to be early, especially when Snape was your professor. There were only a few people there when I arrived, all Ravenclaws.

"Hello Sir," I said quietly as I passed his desk to settle into the corner table. He glanced up at me and gave a slight nod before returning to the parchment he was scribbling on. I was glad that was over with. He terrified me more than any other person at Hogwarts. I never knew when he was going to lash out at someone, and more than once he had made me cry – in secret of course. I would never allow any of my classmates to be privy to my tears.

Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson walked in with their other roommate, Janice Featherby, and Lee Jordan. I wasn't surprised that the twins weren't with them. Though I suspected they were smarter than their grades depicted, what with all of the complicated pranks they pulled, I doubted Snape would have given them a passing OWL. They hadn't been in potions last year, come to think of it. There was a serious lack of cauldrons blowing up.

The Gryffindors settled down at my table as the large group of Slytherins and Ravenclaws crowded the others. Martin Applebee scooted into the room behind Charles Goldstein and slid into the only available seat, which was next to me.

He glanced up at me as he placed his bag down. "Looks like it's just the two of us representing our house, huh?"

I gave him a faint smile, surprised he was even acknowledging me. "Looks like it."

"Cedric would have been here with us," he said suddenly, and immediately the Gryffindors quieted down their conversation. Angelina looked immensely uncomfortable.

"Yes, I suppose he would have…" I trailed off, trying not to imagine what it would be like to be his potions partner, how he would show me the correct amount of unicorn hair to add to our cauldron with an in-depth explanation and a wide grin on his face.

Martin rustled through his bag. "How's Cho?" I asked timidly, and he looked over at me in shock. I never initiated conversations. "Do-do you know?"

He looked thoughtful. "She's…coping. It hit her the hardest, I think. We lost a mate, but she lost her boyfriend. Saw her this morning though. She laughed at something Terry Boot said."

"Good, good," I muttered. Despite my feelings towards Cedric, I felt sorry for Cho. I'd seen the way she'd looked at him. She'd liked him just the same as me. And considering how I'd felt for the past four months, I knew she'd been having a hard time.

Gradually, the conversation between Janice and Lee started up again, and I pulled out my parchment, beginning to take down the notes that appeared on the chalkboard.

The class was a successful one. Martin had offered to be my partner, and we'd managed an E on our Drought of Living Death potion, which was great considering that it was one of the most difficult potions to create in existence. Of course Snape would assign us to that on the first day back. I was content with it, but I didn't think my father would be. He only ever showed interest in my schooling when my grades weren't satisfactory.

I didn't see the twins again until after lunch. I was settled into the third row of desks in McGonagall's classroom, doodling on a spare bit of parchment when they entered, Lee in tow.

"Can't believe that old toad," one of the twins muttered as they settled into the seats behind me.

Lee plopped down in his chair noisily. "She's Fudge's puppet. She's probably getting paid by him to say that Harry's a liar."

My quill slowed in my hands as I concentrated on their conversation.

"I can't believe she gave him detention, on the first day! That must be a record!"

"George, I think you're forgetting our first day of classes in fifth year," Fred sniggered.

I rolled my eyes to myself. Two years ago, the twins had glued their brother Percy to a moving staircase after he'd tried to dock points. This, of course, led to them each getting a week's worth of detention from McGonagall before breakfast had even begun.

So Harry Potter had gotten detention from the new professor this morning? And she was calling him a liar? The only thing I could assume Harry was talking about was You-Know-Who, and what had happened with Cedric last spring. The Daily Prophet hadn't been painting the most flattering picture of him, after all.

Suddenly, my quill slipped out of my fingers and rolled onto the floor. Umbridge wasn't here to investigate the situation. She was here to contain it.

"Hey, you dropped this," came from behind me, and I turned to see Grace and Noel.

I accepted the writing utensil from Grace's hands. "Thanks."

She nodded as her and Noel settled into the desk to my left. It appeared that the two had made up after their fight last night. It seemed we weren't going to become friends after all. I don't know what I expected to come out of our conversation. With a shrug, I busied myself with preparing my parchment and ink for class.

I thought I was going to once again be sitting alone, like I had in Ancient Runes before, but at the last minute Martin slid in beside me, nodding hello. I was confused. Patrick, Terrence, Grace, and Noel, the other seventh year Hufflepuffs, were sitting up front with an open seat beside them. Why was he sitting with me? It's not like we'd bonded when we were brewing our potion this morning. In fact, we'd hardly talked.

I tried not to think about him during the lesson, but it was hard. I fought the urge to ask him more questions about Cedric. Were his parents all right? Where was he buried? Were any of his things still in their dormitory? But of course, I didn't say anything, because I was terrified of what would happen if I did.

I was immensely relieved as the bell rang. Martin's presence beside me made me anxious, and I had to admit that I was eager to see if anyone would speak up to Umbridge about what had happened this morning. I once again took my place in the second to last row of desks by the wall. No one sat beside me as everyone filed in, and I noticed once more, with slight annoyance, that the twins had seated themselves behind me.

"Wands away," came from behind us, and our new professor strolled up the aisle with her pink high heels clacking against the stone.

There was a slight murmur throughout the room. Never had we been asked to pocket our wands in a Defense class, not even during our first lesson in first year.

"Yes?" she questioned the class, looking out into our sea of confused faces. When no one spoke up, she gave an ugly smile and gestured to the board behind her. On it read: Defense Against the Dark Arts, a Return to Basic Principles.

"Now, as I've determined with the fourth and fifth years so far today, it appears that your marks in this class have suffered severely in comparison to this institution's other courses. And yet, we cannot blame the students. It is the professors here who have failed you, stunting your growth with such fragmented, disrupted learning." Umbridge's face bore no grin, but she looked like she would happily welcome commentary. However, word had gotten around about her morning classes, for not a single person opened their mouth.

With a satisfied primp of her hair, she continued. "Your professors from years past have not followed the curriculum set out for them by the Ministry. This year, we will be rigorously following a Ministry-approved course for defensive magic. Now, if you could all take out a quill and copy down these three course aims…"

I squinted at the board, trying to decipher her swirly handwriting from the various bits of lace and frill that seemed to have swallowed the classroom whole. Understand the principles, learn how and when to use defensive magic? That was it? That was all we were going to accomplish as seventh year students who were about to go out into the real world?

I wanted to raise my hand and say something, but after having heard what happened to the fifth years, I wasn't particularly eager. There was a smattering of whispers throughout the room as others came to the same conclusion, but once again, the class remained quiet.

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests," she started, once everyone's quills were down. "Now, as you know…"

Never had I so badly felt loathing for a professor. Yes, Snape was unfair to a lot of students, and yes, he clearly favored his own house and yes, he was unpleasant, but never had I feared that I wouldn't learn something, for he constantly challenged us. This woman, this Ministry worker was clearly here to do Fudge's bidding, and Fudge did not want us to learn how to cast defensive spells. What was he afraid of exactly?

My fingers began to itch, the way they always did when I got the urge to sketch. Glancing around furtively and finding everyone's attention to the front, I slowly dipped my quill into my inkwell and began to draft our new professor.

Umbridge's face took on the appearance of my neighbor's bulldog Roscoe, with her frilly pink skirt and high heels giving her a humorous makeover. The more she talked and I grew accustomed to her voice, the more detailed the drawing became. Her pearl earrings became dog bones, and her dog head began to bark at a few cats I doodled in the background.

"That's pretty good," someone whispered in my ear, and I jumped slightly, a blot of ink dripping off of my quill and staining the parchment. I scowled, turning to find George Weasley leaning over my desk.

I opened my mouth to reply, but our professor beat me to it. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Ms…"

Nervously, I looked up at her from under my hair. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. "Turner. And no ma'am."

George slunk back in his seat and gave Umbridge an ugly look.

"Are you sure? Because Mr. Weasley seemed extremely interested in your little drawing," she said sweetly. I didn't even want to ask how she already knew George's name. Her pink talons began reaching for my drawing and I panicked.

"No, no, it's nothing, really!" I exclaimed, pushing it out of her reach.

She extended her arm. "Miss Turner, you either give me the drawing, or I give you detention."

Feeling like I was about to be sick, I handed her the parchment. She snatched it out of my hand and observed it.

"I see…well, from the looks of things, you, Miss Turner, are a prefect, correct?" Her eyelashes fluttered at me until I nodded. "And you're supposed to be setting an example for your fellow students, but here you are wasting your class time by creating a vicious image of your professor. I think this warrants a detention, don't you?"

But she had just said…! My mouth dropped open as she smiled smugly and turned her attention to George. "Detention for you as well, Mr. Weasley, as you were encouraging this reckless behavior."

Fury was etched on his face. Fred and Lee sniggered at him behind their hands.

"Detentions for the both of you as well," Umbridge stated, before promptly turning on her heel and returning to the front of the room. The smirks dropped off of their faces.

I spent the rest of the class sitting on my hands, which were shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold my quill up to take proper notes. I was dead. I was deader than dead. If my father found out…

I'd never had detention in my life! I was a prefect! Would Professor Sprout revoke my position? That would make my father so angry. I couldn't get one of those letters. Oh Merlin I was going to be sick. The moment the bell rang, I grabbed my satchel and bolted out the door, leaving my drawing on the desk.

I pushed the door to the bathroom open so fast that it nearly swung back and hit me. I dropped to my knees in the first stall and emptied the contents of my lunch into the toilet, beads of sweat forming along my browline. I retched until all that came up was water, then shakily stood and washed my face in the sink.

My head was foggy. I barely registered the fact that there was someone waiting for me outside the door.

"Prudence!"

I turned abruptly, whirling into a Slytherin, who glared at me. "Filthy half-breed."

I ignored them and found the source of the voice. "Martin…hi," I said weakly. Vaguely I hoped my breath didn't smell of vomit.

"You left your drawing in class," he replied, hitching his bag up on his shoulder and handing it to me.

My fingers trembled as I took it from him and I noticed that my palms were clammy. "Thanks," I mumbled, and walked away. I needed to get away from everyone. Now.

I spent the rest of my afternoon in my bed with the hangings drawn, writing an essay to Umbridge apologizing for my actions. What else were Hufflepuffs known for besides brown-nosing? I was hoping I could convince her not to send word to my father about the detention. Once I had finished, I decided that I should go down to dinner, despite my stomach's protests.

There was an unusual amount of chatter in the Great Hall tonight. A lot of people were looking at Harry Potter, and I couldn't blame them. On any given day he was something to look at, but now that it had been made very clear that the Ministry didn't agree with him about You-Know-Who, a lot of students were giving him a wide berth. The Gryffindor table was split down the middle, and I could clearly see who was on Harry's side and who was on Fudge's. All of the Weasley's were seated around him of course, but two of his roommates were not.

I was distracted from my observations by a second year named Louise. "This is for you Miss," she said quietly, retreating back down the table. As I opened it, I noticed the twins and Lee doing the same thing.

_Miss Turner,_

_You will arrive to my office promptly at 8pm. You will be writing lines. No need to bring a quill or ink; I have my own._

_Dolores J. Umbridge_

Well at least I didn't have to clean out any cauldrons or help our caretaker Filch. Those were two of the worst kinds of detentions students here received. I felt like such a delinquent. The twins were carrying on like nothing ever happened, but my legs had been quivering all day. I subconsciously rubbed my left wrist as I thought about the last time my father had received an owl from the school.

At 7:30 I could no longer take sitting in the hall by myself, and headed back up to the DADA classroom, my essay in hand. Though I was early, I knocked on the office door anyway.

"Come in," Umbridge called in her sickly sweet voice that reminded me of the gross red medicine I was forced to take when I was ill as a child.

I blinked. Her entire office was pink…and frilly. I nearly jumped out of my boots when a cat meowed in my ear. I focused on my professor. "Hi, Professor Umbridge…I know I'm early, but I just wanted to give you this essay. It's an apology. For my drawing. I just wanted you to know that it was very out of character for me. I've never gotten a detention before, and I promise that it will never happen again," I burst out nervously, handing her the parchment.

"How nice of you." Her pink nails enclosed the essay and she placed it down neatly on her desk. "You may take a seat. Once Misters Jordan and Weasley are here, we will begin."

Awkwardly, I sat down in a lacy, white chair in front of her desk, occupying myself with Jem, Scout, and Atticus until the others arrived, at which point parchment and quills were placed in front of the four of us.

"Each of you will write, 'I must not disturb the class,'" she insisted, settling herself primly in her seat.

I picked up my quill and examined it for a moment. "How many times would you like us to write the line, Professor?"

Her blue eyes fixated on me. I didn't like the way she was smiling. "You will write it until the message sinks in."

"Won't we be needing ink?" Lee piped in.

Umbridge gave another wide smile. "Oh no, Mr. Jordan. I have special quills that don't require any."

Whatever that meant. With a muffled yawn, I picked up the quill in front of me and began to write. As I got to the word disturb, the tingling sensation I felt in my left hand turned to a burning feeling, and I immediately dropped the quill back on the desk.

"Is there a problem Miss Turner?"

I glanced sideways at George. He cocked his head to the side and mouthed, 'you okay?'

Feeling Umbridge's watchful gaze, I nodded slowly and began writing again. I heard Lee let out a small gasp, and a look of realization came over the twin's faces. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to finish my first line and begin the next. My left hand was turning bright red.

I could hardly concentrate on the words. My hand felt like it was on fire. The reason this quill didn't need ink was because it used blood. My blood. Fred's blood. The blood of whomever was writing with it. This had to be illegal. If the other professors knew, would they disallow it? Would Umbridge get in trouble? Or would I simply get another detention?

My strategy was to write the line as quickly as possible, but then I remembered that there was no set limit to the detention and I could be writing all night. At that point, I began writing slowly, which was almost worse. I followed George's lead and wrote like I typically did, at a steady, neat pace. The clock on the wall had a cat tail that wagged as every second passed. I could feel the eyes of the animals on the wall watching us. I had a feeling that if they could, they would be laughing at us.

After an hour, I felt like I couldn't write another line. I bit back tears and my hand wavered. George's foot gently stepped on mine, and I forced myself to keep writing. I had a feeling that if one of us stopped, Umbridge would keep us here longer as punishment.

To make matters worse, there was a newspaper clip from the Daily Prophet on her desk about the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Cedric's death. My heart felt like it was clenched in an iron vice, and I chewed on my lip so viciously that I drew blood. Great. Now I was bleeding in two places.

Finally, at 9:45, she told us to place our quills down. I barely restrained myself from chucking mine at her as she collected all of our papers. George's by far had the most lines. Lee's had the least.

"You may go. I trust that none of you will be back in this office writing lines?"

For the second time that day I felt like I was going to be sick. "No ma'am," I managed to speak, and backed out of the office. I accidentally brushed my hand up against a desk and cried out, clutching it to my chest. "Shit."

"Are you all right?" George asked, jogging over.

I stared at him.

"Er, okay, obviously you're not. Can I help you with your hand?" He ran his good hand through his red hair so it stuck up all over the place.

I stared at him some more. "Do you know any healing spells?"

"Well, no," he admitted.

"Then no." I began walking again.

He caught up to me once more. "Look, I just wanted to apologize. I know this was my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I tried to say, but my voice caught.

"Oh Merlin, are you crying? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" he rambled, looking alarmed.

I swallowed. "It's not you," I managed. "It's just the bleeding, and she had that _stupid _article about Cedric on her desk…"

I hated the look he was giving me. Immediately my expression disappeared and I brushed past him, heading back to my common room. This time he didn't catch up with me.

* * *

**A/N: This is my new George Weasley/OC story! It's set during OoTP but is slightly AU. If you liked it (and even if you didn't) please feel free to drop a review and share your thoughts! 3**


	2. Finding the In-Between

**Disclaimer: Everything to recognize belongs to JKR! Enjoy!**

* * *

By the time I got back to my dormitory that night, my hand was dripping blood and the pain had given me a migraine. Noel shrieked when she saw me, flinging her hands up to her face.

"What happened to you?" she asked in awe, peering at my wound from between her fingers.

I collapsed on my bed and began carefully blotting it with tissues. "Detention with Umbridge."

"What did she do to you?" Grace asked, coming out of the bathroom.

I choked back a scream as I pressed the tissue to the back of my hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "We were writing lines with a quill that used our blood instead of ink. So…word of the wise, don't get a detention in her class."

The looks of horror on their faces would have been funny had my entire arm not been numb.

"I have something that might help," Grace spoke up shyly. She rummaged around in her trunk until she found pulled out a vial of pale green liquid.

"Essence of Murtlap! That's exactly what I need!" I exclaimed in surprise. I was worried I would have to suffice with an ice pack for tonight, not having been able to afford any healing potions this summer, but a wave of relief swept over me.

She poured some in a small dish that was on her nightstand, knocking the assorted jewelry out of it, then handed it to me. Gingerly, I eased my hand into it. I gasped aloud at the wonderful, buzzing feeling that jolted through my body.

"Is it working?" she asked, nervously tugging on her hair.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's working great. Thanks, Grace," I said in shock. Normally they just would have ignored me in favor of their conversation about which quidditch player had the best bum.

It was silent for a few minutes as the pair of them readied for bed. Noel was applying a face mask and Grace was picking out an outfit. Somehow she made wearing a uniform exhausting, what with all the accessories she added to it.

"So I hear Martin Applebee is your partner in Potions," Grace brought up conversationally as she decided between two different white blouses. She chose the one that made her chest look bigger.

Noel's eyes snapped open. "He is?"

"Er, yeah, we're the only two Hufflepuffs…" I stated awkwardly.

Grace smirked. "Are you jealous Noel? I thought you had Patrick now."

"I do! I'm so _not _jealous. It's just weird, is all." Noel sniffed and flicked a piece of lint off of her sweater.

I looked back and forth between the pair, and quickly realized that whatever fight they'd had last night had most certainly not been resolved.

"Why is that weird?" Grace retorted. "Are you saying it's weird that Martin decided to partner up with Prudence?"

Noel looked at her friend as if she had two heads. "Of course that's why it's weird. He never paid any attention to her before, no offense Prudence."

I held up my free hand as if to say, whatever, then picked up the dish and fled into the bathroom for higher ground. Er, so to speak. As I closed the door, the pair of them exploded, and soon names were being tossed around.

"WHAT KIND OF BINT STEAL'S THEIR BEST FRIEND'S CRUSH? HUH?"

"WHO FANCIES A PERSON FOR FOUR YEARS AND DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT? IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT YOUR SKANKY HOOK-UPS WITH HIM WEREN'T INTERESTING ENOUGH FOR HIM TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL," Noel screamed back, and Grace gasped.

"You bitch," she whispered hatefully, and the door to the hallway slammed once, then twice as I assumed Noel ran after her.

It was suddenly very quiet. The buzz from the fluorescent lighting was the only noise as I took my hand out of the bowl and washed it in the sink. I took a cold shower, so the steam wouldn't hurt the wound, and passed out in my bed before the clock even struck eleven. Neither of them had returned.

When I woke up the next morning, Noel was already gone. "Morning," I said cautiously to Grace, who was seated at her desk, applying her makeup in the mirror.

"Good morning," she spoke perkily, dotting foundation underneath her eyes.

"How are you?" I asked slowly, testing the waters.

She shrugged, her perfectly styled blonde hair bouncing. "I'm all right. Want to walk to breakfast with me?"

I frowned and made my way into the bathroom. "Erm, sure."

Grace gave me a reassuring smile as I closed the door. My life was getting stranger by the second, it seemed.

Once my hair was slicked back into a bun, my hand was wrapped in a bandage, and my bag was packed, the two of us headed to the Great Hall. I'd never walked to breakfast with anyone before, and I was excited, even though I knew it was only because she was angry with Noel. She smiled and waved at so many people that I got whiplash from turning my head back and forth.

"So Prue, you don't mind if I call you Prue, do you?" She took a lip gloss tube out of her satchel and applied some before offering it to me. It was hot pink and sparkly.

"No thanks," I said with a weak smile. "And erm, sure, if you want."

Grace popped her lips and shot me a large grin. "Awesome! So anyway, what do you think of Martin?"

I choked on my spit. "What? Why?"

"Well, it's just that he seems pretty interested in you all of a sudden." She gave me a knowing look and fussed over my hair for a moment before we walked into the hall. "So you're going to sit next to him, right?"

"Oh, er…" I awkwardly stumbled over my feet as she grabbed my shoulders and steered me towards the center of the table. Noel was sitting on the very end of the group next to a sixth year named Tom, and she shot us a dirty look.

Grace kept one hand on my shoulder, gesturing with the other. "Everyone, Prudence is going to be sitting with us this morning! Yay!" I was shoved down onto the bench next to Martin, who grinned at me and offered up the pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"Oh, no thank you," I mumbled, my cheeks turning red. "I, er, prefer tea in the mornings…"

"You guys can feel free to call her Prue, it's her new nickname. I just made that up a minute ago and I'm already in love with it." Grace reached across my plate to snag a muffin, and as she bit into it she shot me a wink.

Noel looked fit to burst, she was so angry. She leaned over and kissed Patrick full on the mouth, taking him by surprise. His eggs splattered back on his dish.

"Who's ready for Charms this morning?" Grace practically shouted, nudging me into Martin. "I can't believe we're this lucky to have Flitwick in the mornings. He's never on time and he doesn't care if we fall asleep! Although I _do _think he would mind if a couple of his students couldn't keep their tongues out of one another's throats," she said pointedly. Patrick had the manners to look embarrassed.

This was horrifying. I kept my eyes on the cup of tea that I was furiously stirring, watching the steam curl towards the ceiling. It looked like a nice day out at least. I hated walking to Herbology in the rain. The older you got, the farther away your greenhouse was, and the more damp your robes became.

"How are you feeling this morning Prudence?" Martin asked kindly. Terrence and Patrick looked at him like he had sprouted a tail.

Was it really so strange for one of them to include me in a conversation? Merlin… "I'm better, thanks."

"Good," he said with a gallant nod. "But what happened to your hand?"

I dragged it under the table hurriedly as everyone's eyes turned to me. "Oh, nothing, I just-"

"It's from Umbridge," Grace cut in. "Last night in detention, she made Prue write with a quill that used her own blood as ink."

Everyone's heads whipped around to look at her. "What?"

"That can't be true," Patrick snorted, taking a large bite of his waffle.

Grace turned to me triumphantly. "Show them."

"Um…" As everyone's eyes once again turned to me, I sighed. "All right." I checked to make sure Umbridge wasn't paying attention, and slowly unwrapped the bandage. It looked even worse than last night; it was inflamed, and had traces of dried blood around the words.

Terrence coughed. "Holy shit, I think I'm going to be sick."

Martin clapped him on the back, glancing at me worriedly. "She really made you write with your own blood? Is that legal?"

"She's from the Ministry isn't she? Do you really think that, even if I told Dumbledore, he could do something about it? She's on Fudge's orders." I quickly rewrapped my hand, hoping that the conversation would turn somewhere else.

Noel sniffed and tossed her hair back. "Of course he could, he's Dumbledore. When has he listened to Fudge before?"

"Yes but things have changed, Noel," Patrick said softly. "We know that better than anyone."

We were all silent for a moment. Somehow Cedric became a part of every conversation I was in. I felt bile rise in my throat when I realized that I was sitting in his usual seat, and I fought back the urge to retch.

"I just realized I left a book back in the dorm," I mumbled, pushing back from the bench.

Grace frowned. "Well, I'll save you a seat in Charms!"

I barely had time to catch Noel's death glare before I shot out of the hall. I really needed to get it together. Compared to a lot of other people at this school, I had no right to be upset. Sure Cedric was kind to me, and we were prefects together for two years, and there was one time where I thought he might…

But we weren't friends. We certainly weren't dating. His best mates seemed to be handling this better than me. I was acting pathetic.

With a sigh, I pounded up the Grand Staircase with the intent of going to class early so I could finish To Kill a Mockingbird. Unfortunately, I was the first person to fall into Peeves the Poltergeist's trap. I shrieked as balloons full of paint exploded down on me, dousing my hair, uniform, and satchel in the colors of the rainbow.

"PEEVES!" I bellowed, slipping as I tried to get out of his way. He flew away cackling, tossing more balloons as he went. I spat out a wad of yellow paint and skidded my way down the hall. I didn't want Filch to catch me with the mess. Somehow I'd end up getting blamed for it, and the last thing I needed was to get into more trouble.

"Where the hell is the bathroom?" I asked aloud furiously, trying to feel my way along the corridor. The paint had glued my eyelashes together. I stepped in a large purple puddle and fell flat on my arse. Someone burst into laughter as they rounded a corner and walked over, lifting me up by my armpits.

I wrenched away from them once I regained my balance. "Who is this?"

"Merlin's boxer shorts," was the response. I thought I recognized the voice, but I wasn't sure. "Come on, I'll get you to the loo."

Reluctantly, I grabbed onto this person's elbow and allowed them to slowly walk me down the hall. I was pushed onto a chair suddenly and I heard the tap turn on. The stranger was now dabbing at my face with a warm washcloth.

"I think you can open your eyes now," he said, and as I did so, I yelped and nearly fell off of my seat.

My eyes narrowed. "Of course it's you. You seem to be around every corner lately."

George rolled his eyes. "Actually I was waiting to see who would walk into Peeves' trap."

"You couldn't have warned me?" I demanded, flinching as he scrubbed at my forehead.

George dipped the rag back into the water and wrung it out. "I didn't know it was you, did I?"

"So you were completely okay with letting anyone walk into it? What if it was McGonagall? What if it was Umbridge?" I ignored the fact that his free hand was holding the back of my neck so he could tilt my head to the side.

"All the better," was his reply. He winked at me and I took the rag from him.

"I uh, think I can take it from here. Thanks." I awkwardly stood, leaving a trail of blue and green paint along the tile.

George raised his hands in surrender and stepped back. "Be my guest…but you missed a spot."

I frowned as I examined myself in the mirror. "Where?"

"Here," he said, dipping his fingers into the paint on my shoulder and swirling them along my cheek.

My jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?"

His response was laughter.

Suddenly I noticed the urinals behind him. "You brought me into the boy's bathroom?!"

"Of course, you didn't think I'd walk into a girl's loo, did you?" George smirked, leaning against the sink.

I glared at him and grabbed my satchel, hurrying out of there before anyone could see me. I ended up running the entire way to class, scared that I would be late, but somehow George beat me there.

"If you hadn't run away, I could've showed you a short cut," was all he said, shrugging and doing his stupid little strut over to his seat.

Grace gestured for me to sit beside her. "Prue? Why are you coated with paint?"

Everyone was staring at me once again. "Peeves," I muttered, wringing my blouse out. Noel snorted in laughter.

"Here." Martin scooted his chair back so he could reach me, then tapped my head with his wand, which siphoned the dye off of me. Noel stopped laughing and abruptly turned to face the front.

The Weasley twins were sniggering at me from the corner. "Thanks Martin," I said as pleasantly as I could. He nodded and was dragged into a conversation about quidditch by Patrick.

"What's the deal with him?" Grace asked, and I shrugged.

"I don't know, he's just been super nice to me lately," I responded as I dug my textbook and quill out of my bag.

Grace whacked my arm. "Not Martin, silly, I meant George Weasley!"

I paused and glanced up at her. "Er…what about him?"

"He's totally staring at you," she whispered, shooting me a kissy face.

With a sigh, I peered around her to find George Weasley indeed staring at me. When he noticed my interest, he winked waved before tuning into his brother's conversation with Lee Jordan. Both were furiously jabbing a worn piece of parchment.

"He found me after I got pelted with the paint." I hoped that this would be enough to satisfy her, but instead she gripped my forearm tightly, her long nails digging into my skin.

"Oh my God, that's so heroic!" she squealed. "Did he carry you bridal style? Did he banish Peeves with a mighty wave of his wand?" Noel gave us a funny look and my cheeks started to burn.

Thankfully, Flitwick arrived, closing the door behind him. The first half of the class dragged by sluggishly, what with him lecturing us on the importance of the NEWTs and our final year here. Eventually he released us to work on our own, placing small stones on each set of desks.

"I want all of you to work on the spell _Aresto Momentum_," he squeaked. "One person in each pair should lightly toss the stone up into the air and the other should practice slowing down its velocity. Next class I want a foot long essay about the spell and its uses."

I turned to Grace, unsurprised to see her sleeping. I shook her awake gently. "Do you want to go first, or do you want me to?"

"You can," she decided, subtly wiping drool from her chin.

This was not going to be good. I picked up my wand and whispered the spell to myself several times. "Okay, I'm ready."

Grace gave me a devilish smile and flung the rock over my head. It hit the Weasley's desk and bounced onto the ground.

"Grace!" I yelped, just as Flitwick admonished her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I guess I don't know my own strength."

I shrunk down in my seat as the class began to laugh.

"I believe this belongs to you," George said, trying to contain his smirk.

Grace flashed him a smile and accepted the stone from him. "Thanks ever so much!"

"I really can't believe you just did that," I muttered, resting my forehead in my hand and pretending that I wasn't surrounded by a room full of people laughing at me.

The blonde rolled her eyes and straightened her tie. "Oh get over it, it was all in fun. Besides, now we know for sure that he fancies you."

"Who fancies Prudence?" Patrick piped up in interest. Several people turned around.

Mortified, I buried my head in my bag under the pretense of looking for something.

"_George _does," she whispered conspiratorially to the group. Patrick and Terrence rolled their eyes and went back to practicing the spell, but Martin's ears pricked up.

"How do you know that?" he asked casually.

Grace shot a wink at me. "Well, he rescued her from Peeves before, and he walked all the way across the room just to return the stone to Prudence, when Fred or Lee easily could've done it. Not to mention he winked at her before."

"That doesn't prove anything," I whispered furiously. "He was just being nice. And he was probably only staring because I was completely covered in paint!"

Martin glared at them and turned around to pack his stuff up.

As the bell rang, Grace asked what the rest of my schedule was like. "Erm...I have Astronomy, lunch, and then Herbology."

"We have astronomy too!" came from behind us.

Internally, I began to panic as the Weasley twins grabbed me away from Grace and swept me from the room, Lee Jordan rolling his eyes as he tagged along. "Why are you holding on to me?"

Fred laughed. "This girl asks the real questions, doesn't she?"

"Listen Prudence, we have a proposition for you." George bent his head down to whisper in my ear. We were getting a lot of weird looks. People probably wondered who the hell I was and why I was walking with the school jokers.

I glanced up at him warily. "I'll pass, thank you."

"But you haven't even heard the offer yet!" Lee cried.

"Yeah, we're going to pay you!" George said.

"To test stuff!" Fred added happily.

I untangled myself from their lanky arms and held my books closer to my chest. "Didn't you two show up to class with a rash last spring? A _green _rash, that lasted for a full week?"

George placed a hand over his heart. "She remembered," he said fondly.

"I don't care how much you pay me, I'm not doing it." I walked faster, hoping that they would get the hint and bugger off.

Fred stepped in front of me. "Fifty galleons."

My eyes widened. Fifty galleons? That was a lot of money. I could use that to move out of my father's house. "What exactly would I be testing?"

"Oh, just a few little things that Fred and I here have whipped up over the summer. Now what you need to know…"

George talked my ear off the entire way to astronomy, during astronomy, and then on the way to lunch. Despite the complete and utter terror that I felt as I thought about all of the dangers of this, I couldn't help but to feel happy. Fifty galleons was an awful lot…it would be even more in the Muggle world. With everything else that I had saved up over the years, I could probably find a place of my own as soon as the year ended. Sooner, even.

All throughout lunch I remained silent, thinking about what type of flat I could buy and where I could afford to live. Wales might be nice...although I didn't know any Welsh. Perhaps Dorchester, just outside of London? Grace left me to my own devices mostly because she was too busy flirting with Martin in an attempt to get under Noel's skin, which suited me perfectly fine. I honestly wasn't so sure about my friendship with her. She seemed awfully vain, and was the type of girl who caused a lot of drama. But who was I to judge? Up until this morning, I'd only ever had one friend, and he was...

"Are you done eating?" I was dragged out of the past by Martin, whose blue eyes were staring down at me.

I glanced up at him, blushing as he smiled at me. "Oh, um, yes, I am."

"Want to walk to Herbology with me? We can be partners," he offered, getting up and extending a hand to me.

Nervously, I saw Noel watching us with a hateful expression. Grace nodded at me. "Sure, that sounds nice," I managed, wiping my hand on my skirt before I slid it into his.

I honestly had no idea how I'd gone from being the girl that no one spoke to, to the girl that was getting walked to classes by quidditch players. I didn't know what to say; my mouth had gone dry.

"So, what did the Weasley twins want with you?" he asked conversationally. I saw his hands curl into fists.

Was he jealous? "Oh er, they just wanted to make sure that my hand was all right after our detention last night." No need for him to know the truth. I didn't want him thinking that I was doing business with them, because I really wasn't. The last thing I wanted was for people to start associating me with Fred and George, the ultimate trouble makers.

"I still can't believe they got you into trouble like that." Martin shook his head angrily.

I pursed my lips. "To be fair, it wasn't entirely their fault. I _did _draw that picture of Umbridge you know."

"What? You were just drawing her as you saw her," he said, looking at me with a grin. I found myself laughing as he nudged me with his elbow. I nudged him back.

The two of us exited the castle into the brisk September air. "Can I take your satchel for you?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

"Oh! Er, sure, if you want to," I stuttered, and he smiled charmingly as he slid my bag off of my shoulder and onto his. Maybe Grace was right. I didn't know if George fancied me, but it seemed as though Martin did. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to. It appeared that Noel still had feelings for him, despite being with Patrick, and I certainly didn't want any enemies. But still, this felt so nice…

Martin was a perfect Herbology partner as it turns out. He did most of the dirty work, testing out the plants first so I knew how to handle them. He also seemed to have a knack for figuring out the properties of the plants, which was something I had always struggled with. Grace and Terrence were paired up next to us, and Grace kept pinching my arm excitedly.

"You're going to the prefects meeting tonight, right?" Martin asked as we headed back up to the castle.

I slapped a hand to my forehead. "I nearly forgot about that. But yes, I am."

"We could go together if you wanted. If it would make it easier for you…" he trailed off.

Cedric had always walked to the meetings with me. Usually, he would make a special effort in the mornings to catch up with me so he would know where to find me later. "Yeah, that would be great," I managed. Of course Martin would be chosen as his replacement. He was a straight O student.

"I actually have to go to the library, but I'll be at the common room at six. That way we can go to the meeting from there," I suggested. It was getting progressively harder to talk the longer I saw the sun shine off of Cedric's prefect badge that was resting on Martin's chest.

He nodded, and the second that we climbed up the steps to the entrance hall, I took off. The library. That's what I needed. I spent a lot of time in there over the years. I had a special study table that was right next to the Astronomy section of it. My name was etched onto its underside. I breathed a sigh of relief once I entered and said hello to Madame Pince. She scowled. At least that was the same.

This felt good. Going to the library to do homework once my classes were over was a part of my usual routine, and since my life had gotten fairly off-track this year, it was reassuring to be back to normal. Happily, I took out my textbooks and got to work. I lost track of time, only noticing the shadows now being cast through the stained glass windows as I was jarred from my thoughts.

"Prudence! Just the girl I was looking for!"

George flopped down in the seat across from me.

"This is a library!" Madame Pince hissed. "If you can't be quiet, you can't stay in here!"

He pretended to lock his mouth and through away the key. The librarian glared and retreated behind a book shelf. "How would you like to test one of our products out?"

"Now?" I hissed, glancing around furtively and hoping no one noticed me talking to him.

George shrugged. "Well, considering we're the ones paying you I think it only right for us to set the terms."

With a sigh, I placed down my quill and began to pack up my bag. "Why have you chosen _me _to do this anyway? Why couldn't Lee or your brother or sister do it or something?"

Upon receiving yet another glare from Madame Pince, he leaned in closer so he could speak more softly. "Lee's forbidden it since we accidentally vanished his tongue over the summer, and our mother would kill us if she found out we were using our younger siblings for testing products. What we needed was someone who wouldn't go blabbing about it to other people, least of all professors or Hermione Granger."

"So you chose a prefect." My head was beginning to throb with my confusion.

"No, we chose a student who has just as much at stake as we do. Plus, you're pretty nice to look at, much better than Lee, Fred, or myself," he spoke casually, picking up my quill and tossing it back and forth between his hands.

My cheeks flushed red and I stood abruptly. "Fine. Fine, I'll do it, but I have a prefects meeting in ten minutes. Can I do it after?"

"Excellent!" he cried, momentarily forgetting where he was. The moth-ball covered librarian began to stalk towards us, and, noticing this, he quickly placed a hand on my back and propelled me towards the exit. "So after your meeting, I want you to meet me outside the Gryffindor common room entrance at, say, 8 o'clock? You can eat dinner first, of course."

I still couldn't bring myself to look at him. "Yeah, s'fine," I muttered, and began to walk towards the Entrance Hall's antechamber, where all the prefects were meeting the Head Boy and Girl.

"Ah, hold on." George grabbed my elbow and stepped very closely to me. I could feel his breath on my cheeks. Very slowly, he raised his hand to my face and rubbed my jaw. "You've got a bit of dirt just there."

My breathing was very shallow. "Erm, thanks," I whispered, feeling horrified. Then he stepped backwards with a self-satisfied smirk, and warned me that I was going to be late for my meeting.

"Lovely seeing you!" George called after me, laughter evident in his voice. I was mortified.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked the second chapter of Stand or Burn! Up next: a prefect meeting, Prudence does some thinking, what the heck is a Fainting Fancy? Stay tuned!**


	3. The Perfect Prefect

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR! Enjoy!**

* * *

The entire walk, I cursed George Weasley in my head. He probably loved embarrassing me…that was why he wanted to do this. I didn't buy any of his excuses or reasonings. They had probably just chosen me based on how much fun it would be to humiliate me. I wish we'd never crossed paths outside the kitchens that night.

At the last moment, I remembered I was supposed to meet Martin, and dashed towards my common room.

"Hey!" he said with a grin. "I was thinking you'd forgotten."

I walked towards him shyly. "I almost did, I have to admit. My mind was somewhere else completely."

"Anything wrong?" he inquired thoughtfully as we walked down the corridor.

I shook my head, my dark hair flying every which way. "It's just a new year, our final year…I can hardly believe it."

"Me either. I feel like we should be back in third year, learning how to unlock doors and levitate our quills," he joked.

The two of us entered the antechamber to find everyone else already assembled. The prefects were all sitting together by house, a fact that I noticed sadly. Sure the Slytherins had always kept to themselves before, but now even the other three houses were separated. Martin and I took our seats with the rest of the Hufflepuffs, not wanting to be the only ones to sit differently.

"All right, now that we're all here, we can begin," said Jennifer Mickelson, the Head Girl, with a pointed look at Martin and I. She, like the Head Boy, was a Ravenclaw, and despite her extensive knowledge of magic and its properties, was a right bint. I couldn't stand her.

"Charles is going to be handing you all patrol schedules. Each prefect is required to fulfill three hours of patrol duty per week. We've already created a mock schedule, but obviously once quidditch and the other clubs start up again, it's going to get much more complicated, so what you all need to do is work out which nights and times work the best for you and get back to us as soon as possible," she spoke in her fake-sweet voice. Her cat eye glasses made her green eyes look even larger, and I noticed a few of the fifth years looking at her apprehensively.

"Now," she continued. "We may have to partner up with a prefect outside of our house. I don't think that I need to remind you that since you have all been chosen singlehandedly by our Heads of Houses and the Headmaster, that you should act as an example for the other students at all times. If I see, hear, or even think that two of you are going to misbehave towards one another, you will be reported to your proper house head, as well as Professor Dumbledore, and it _will _be going down on your permanent record."

A few of the Slytherins muttered angrily amongst themselves, but no one dared talk back to the Head Girl. "Anything you'd like to add Charles?"

Charles rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and returned to his position at Jennifer's side. "Look, I know that I'm not who any of you expected to see standing up here beside Jen," he said apologetically, and my body went rigid. Martin looked over at me.

"But the fact of the matter is that we can't bring him back, no matter how much we want to, and we have to stand united for the rest of the school to remind them that everything is okay. If the other students see us quarreling amongst ourselves, I can guarantee that your jobs to keep the peace will become ten times tougher. So let's buckle down and get this done, yeah?"

Everyone else seemed to think this a very good speech, as they began to applaud him, but I couldn't remove my hands from where they were clenched in my lap.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Martin muttered, and I hazily followed him out the door. "Are you all right?"

I forced myself to swallow. "Yeah it's just…I don't see why everyone has to keep bringing him up."

His blue eyes held my gaze. "I think they just don't want to forget about him. If we act like it's such a taboo subject, no one is going to talk about him, and then it will be like it never happened. Now I know people like you and me won't, but remember he wasn't close with the rest of Hogwarts like he was with us. They'll be more worried about their grades or who's going to ask them to Hogsmeade."

Martin thought that I was close to Cedric, but had I been? Had I really known him? I don't think that I could even say for certain what his favorite color was, or what he liked to eat at dinner. I had never gone to Hogsmeade with him, or sat beside him in the quidditch stands, and I was certain he had not gone into that maze thinking about me. But instead of saying all this, I simply nodded.

"Come on, let's go eat. I'm sure Grace has got some ridiculous story to tell us all," he said encouragingly.

Grace did, as it turns out, have a ridiculous story about someone who had thrown their quill through Professor Binns' head today during class. I didn't laugh, instead forcing down bangers and mash that my stomach clearly did not want. Feeling like I couldn't stand to sit there any longer, I decided to just head up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Martin frowned as I hastily left the table, but was distracted by Terrence questioning him about the Charms assignment, allowing my escape.

I wasn't sure exactly how to find the common room, but I knew that I had to take a left off of the main staircase on the seventh floor. Hopefully there were some other Gryffindors that I could follow.

The walk seemed to take forever, and I suddenly had much more appreciation for the fact that many Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were often running late. I never had to walk very far. I was beginning to feel apprehensive about my location.

Luckily for me, I spotted Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan ahead of me, and decided to follow at a safe distance. They seemed to be arguing.

"…me mam says what the Ministry says, and the Ministry says the truth!" Seamus cried out exasperatedly.

"How do you know? Has Harry ever lied to us before? Think about all the other times people thought he was lying and it turned out he was right the whole time," Dean countered, looking like he was seriously considering hitting his friend.

I really couldn't get away from this topic today. I drowned out their conversation as I began to put together what I knew into my head. Harry Potter had come out of the maze last spring clutching Cedric. Cedric was dead. Harry and Dumbledore said he was murdered, by You-Know-Who. The Ministry said he was lying. We had a Ministry worker in our midst. Harry had been attacked by dementors just before school had started up again. And the Slytherins had been particularly rowdy this week.

To be honest, I didn't have much stock in Fudge. He'd never seemed that authoritative to me, and it was clear the job was aging him, as displayed by his wrinkled face and graying hair. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was a bit eccentric, but also the greatest wizard of all time. I suspected he knew things that no others did, and probably had a better handle on the situation than Fudge.

That being said, how was it possible from him to be back? So what if he hadn't died? He'd…exploded or something, hadn't he? I'd seen the picture from Godric's Hollow. The roof was blown out. And where had he been for 14 years? Waiting for the right moment to strike?

"Hey! You're here!"

I was jarred from my analysis of the Fudge-Dumbledore debate by a loud voice. Dean and Seamus turned around and gave me funny looks as they headed in through a portrait of a very large woman wearing a pink dress.

"That's the Fat Lady," spoke who I was assuming was Fred. His sweater was slightly different than the one I'd seen George wearing today.

I blinked. "You call her the Fat Lady?"

"That is my name, my dear," she spoke, and in spite of myself, I jumped.

George extended his arm out in front of him. "After you, Prudence."

After a brief pause, I apprehensively stepped through the portrait hole. I'd never been in another house's common room, and to be honest wasn't really sure if it was allowed, or if it would be okay with the other Gryffindors.

The room was emblazoned in scarlet and gold. There were tapestries on the walls and huge, puffy couches and armchairs. Whereas the Hufflepuff common room was open and airy and light, this was close knit, almost like a lion's den, although I supposed that was the point.

"You like it?" George said from behind, startling me.

I looked at him sharply. "Would you quit that?"

Fred tossed an arm around my shoulder and began leading me through the room. "Hey everyone, have you met our dear friend Prudence? She's offered to assist George and Lee in Herbology, seeing as the pair of them have been receiving Trolls all week!"

At this declaration, the room exploded in laughter and applause. George and Lee began taking bows, clearly unaffected by the embarrassment. I myself had flushed cheeks. I didn't take kindly to being stared at by strangers, even if they weren't laughing at me specifically. I breathed a sigh of relief once Fred started heading up a spiral staircase.

I once again appreciated my common room. We had a tunnel instead of a stairwell, which required a lot less cardiovascular activity. We climbed for a good five minutes.

Their dormitory wasn't nearly as disgusting as I'd imagined it. Instead of their being socks and boxer shorts and rubbish all over the place, there were simply sheets of parchment and boxes filled with things from Zonko's and Gambol and Japes.

A boy stood in the corner, folding and putting away some clothing into his trunk. His section of the room was oddly neat.

"Ah Kenneth! It is rather unfortunate that you're here. Prudence was going to be helping us out with some Herbology homework. Who better than a Puffer right? And a prefect to boot!" Fred said enthusiastically. He was certainly one for dramatics.

Kenneth stood stiffly, and the light glinted off of his oddly plastic-looking hair. "I thought prefects had higher standards than that."

George got an ugly look on his face, but I beat him to it. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No," Kenneth responded with a slight sneer.

"Then why are you judging me? Or did your mother not teach you proper etiquette for meeting new people?" I'd just lost one too many nerves today.

The boy pushed his glasses up on his face, grabbed some books off of his desk, and exited the room, all the while muttering under his breath.

Lee whistled. "Wow, we've never been able to get rid of him that quickly! Way to go, Prudence!"

Fred launched himself onto his bed. "Yeah, usually he's a real prat when we need the room. Doesn't like us much, I reckon."

"Perhaps it's because of that time in fifth year when you put Bulbadox Powder in his shorts?" George inquired innocently, rummaging through a box in the corner.

Fred propped himself up on his elbows. "Could be from the time that Lee spilled ink all over his dress robes."

"It just may be from when George threw his Potions assignment out the window into a rain storm," Lee pointed out.

I looked to George in horror. "What?"

He turned away for a moment. "He went too far," was all he said, and Fred and Lee nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, what we need you to test tonight is this candy which we call the Fainting Fancy. You'll pass out immediately, but you can stand by one of our beds so you don't hit your head." Fred motioned for me to stand by his bedside, but I remained firmly rooted.

"Hold on. If I'm going to be testing your products for you, at least tell me what for. What are you going to be doing with all this stuff exactly?" I folded my arms across my chest.

The three of them exchanged a look. Finally, George knelt down and picked up a particular piece of parchment that was done in color ink, handing it to me.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" I said aloud, examining it. "A joke shop? The three of you are opening your own store?"

Fred nodded. "And before you go mouthing off about it, just know that we already have dozens of orders!"

"No," I shook my head. "I think this is amazing. I could never do anything as ambitious as this."

George looked intrigued. "You like the idea?"

"Sure," I said with a shrug. "And I'd like to help out. But only," I added, speaking over Lee's cheers, "if you pay me. I don't do free labor."

They all let out a hearty laugh and George clapped me on the back slightly, leading me towards his bed. "You sound just like Ron."

I blushed slightly at the feel of his hand on my shoulder, remembering how he'd touched my face just hours ago. He was certainly a flirt, I'd give him that. I think the flirtation, combined with the dramatics and constant limelight had been why I'd avoided the Weasley twins for six years.

"Now," George continued, completely oblivious to my mortification. "You'll hopefully pass out quickly, and I'll put the other end of the candy into your mouth, which will revive you."

I tossed the brightly colored toffee a suspicious look. "How do I know I won't go into a coma or a seizure or something?"

"Ah, we tested them on some first years already," Lee said carelessly. "'Course we got yelled at by Hermione, but it was worth it! We figured out the dosage of sleeping potion in them wasn't strong enough."

Still questioning how I'd gotten myself into this mess, I took the toffee from George's hand and bit into it.

The next thing I knew, I was awoken by a hand reaching into my mouth. "Did it work?"

"Oh yes!" Fred cried out excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "You went out like you'd been hit in the head with a bludger."

"Or two!" George added gleefully. Lee was happily scribbling down results.

I rubbed my eyes. Exhaustion must have been a side effect. "So can I go now?"

The twins grinned at one another. "No! We've got an entire batch that needs to be tested!"

I wound up passing out eleven more times. At this point, I was ready to crawl into my bed, and was growing irritated at the constant smiles that were upon their faces. "Now can I go?"

"After you eat this," George said, handing me a chocolate bar. "Don't worry, it won't make you faint, I promise. This is from Honeyduke's."

Incredulously, I took it from him and chewed on a small piece. "How did you get this? We haven't been to Hogsmeade yet."

"Let's just say that we happen to have very extensive knowledge about the castle and its surrounding area," Fred said mysteriously.

Why was I not surprised? The three of them didn't seem like the kind of students who stayed within their boundaries. George settled down beside me on his bed and nodded to the chocolate.

"Eat up," he spoke, and I took another bite. It was filled with caramel.

Lee finished his frantic scribbling of the results and tossed down his quill. "So Prudence, tell us about yourself."

I swallowed. "Er, what do you want to know?"

"Hmm…" Fred stroked his chin. "How come I never saw you talking to anyone until this term?"

George shot him a look but I wasn't offended. It wasn't exactly a secret that I always sat alone, whether I was in class, the Great Hall, or the library. "I'm not very good with people," I admitted. "And my dormmates and I didn't understand each other. Noel and I still don't."

"You got on with Cedric though," George said softly. It was the first time he'd spoken to me without any pretense of a joke.

I took my time eating the chocolate before answering. "Cedric was different," I managed. "It wasn't hard to speak to him, or exhausting. And I didn't have to worry that he was making fun of me behind my back. He was the most genuine person I ever met."

It was news to me that the Weasleys had paid any attention to me whatsoever before now. Maybe I hadn't been as invisible as I'd thought. And why did everyone keep bringing up Cedric with me?

I finished the bar as quickly as I could and stood. "Well, I should get going. Thanks for the chocolate."

George sprung up. "I'll escort you out," he offered. "And here's today's earnings."

I accepted the five gold Galleons from him and stuck them in my pocket. He opened the door for me and I refrained from blushing for the millionth time today.

"You did really well," he said conversationally as we made our way down the long staircase.

Shrugging, I glanced back at him. "Wasn't much to it."

"True, but some of the first years cried after taking just one Fainting Fancy, and you took twelve." There was a trace of a smirk on his face.

We reached the common room, which was much quieter now. "They're still children, George. You can't expect them to like passing out. It is rather disconcerting."

He nodded in acceptance, sticking his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Well, I suppose this is you."

I turned to him suddenly. "Why did you _really _choose me to test your products?"

His face split into a wide grin, and his brown eyes danced with laughter. "Good night Prudence."

He shut the portrait behind me with a chuckle, and I set off for my common room with a sigh. This had been the strangest day of my life.

* * *

The next morning, I was awoken by Grace yanking back my blinds. "Wake up Prudence! It's potions today, which means you'll be partnered with Martin!"

I cringed at her loud, perky voice, and blearily sat up. Noel's hangings were still closed, but she was most likely awake and cursing Grace's existence.

"What time is it?" The dormitory was still in darkness.

The blonde tugged on my covers, and I reluctantly stood. "Six o clock!"

"What?! I'm going back to sleep!" Grace pinched my upper arm skin as I tried to return to the warmth of my bed.

"I'm going to help you get ready this morning," she said sweetly, ushering me into the lavatory.

I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Oh, just some eyebrow tweezing, exfoliating, deep conditioning, and of course your outfit and makeup," she rattled off, opening the large drawer where she kept her beauty supplies.

An hour later, I hardly recognized myself. My skin was clearer and smoother than it had been since puberty, my hair was shiny and bouncy, and I found myself gazing into my eyes with interest. The liner she had used emphasized them appealingly.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked her. "And how do you do this every day?"

Grace waved a hand. "You get used to it. And I'm doing it because I know they're going to be putting up the announcement for the first Hogsmeade weekend any day now, and I want Martin to ask you."

I checked to make sure that the door was firmly closed, not wanting Noel to overhear. "Why are you pushing this Martin issue so much? Are you just doing it to make Noel mad?"

"Well, originally that was the plan…but as it turns out Martin really does like you," she confided, running a comb through her hair.

"What?" I choked out. "How do you know that?"

My palms began to sweat. How was I supposed to talk to him with this information running around my head?

Grace smirked as she applied her lip gloss. "I asked him."

"And he just…told you?"

"Yeah well Martin's not the kind of person to hide his emotions. He's such an open book. He never even liked Noel anyway, said she was too hollow for him, whatever that means."

She spoke about this so bluntly. Noel was supposed to be her best friend, and here she was trying to play matchmaker with the boy Noel fancied and a girl she hated. I felt extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Oh. Well, I don't think that Martin and I would be such a good idea."

"Why not?" Grace whipped around to face me. "Is this because of Weasley?"

My mouth dropped open. "What? No! It's just that, I've only been speaking to Martin for a few days. And, and I don't really think I'm the kind of girl that would be very good in a relationship anyway. I can barely speak to him as a friend."

"Oh come on Prue, he's totally head over heels for you! He's a really nice guy. And a good snogger," she added with a wink.

My cheeks flushed. "I'll think about it, okay Grace?"

This promise seemed to make her happy, and I escaped back to the dormitory to get dressed. Sure, Martin was really nice, but it didn't change the fact that he'd ignored me for six years. Not to mention it was obvious that Noel still had feelings for him. And I was too shy to be someone's girlfriend. I didn't think our conversations would ever get very far.

The entire walk to breakfast, Grace kept whispering tips into my ear. "Smile when you see him, but no teeth! Don't eat anything sloppy, he doesn't want to see you slurping about. Try eating some strawberries, or a banana. Oh, and you should brush your arm and leg up against him every once in a while. It'll really get him going."

I didn't want to get anyone going anywhere. With a sigh, I reluctantly followed her through the doors into the Great Hall. As predicted, the space next to Martin was left open, and I settled beside him as quietly as I could.

"Good morning Prudence," he grinned. "I made you some tea."

I blinked, glancing down at the cup in front of me. "Oh, oh! Thanks Martin, that was really sweet of you."

Grace kicked me under the table, and mouthed the words, 'touch him!'

"I really appreciate it," I added, awkwardly patting his bicep. Grace made a face as if to say, 'that'll do.'

"Sure thing," Martin winked. I felt a vague stirring in my stomach. Perhaps I did feel something for Martin. Oh I didn't know! All I knew was that I was more confused than ever.

Breakfast was a relatively awkward affair. Grace kept handing me various foods off of her plate, insisting that they were just to die for, and I should try it. Martin watched fascinatedly as she forced me to eat some yogurt off of her spoon. After that, I refused to try anything else she offered.

During potions, Martin kept insisting that he had to show me the proper way to stir, placing his hand over mine, but when I got so nervous that I almost knocked some hellebore into the concoction, he thankfully stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief when he'd dropped me off at Professor Babbling's classroom. My nerves were frayed from trying to act normally.

I sat alone, contentedly, and allowed my mind to focus on the task at hand, translating the sentences on the board. Babbling let class out several minutes early, as she had a headache, and I was the first one to arrive to Umbridge's classroom. I eagerly took out To Kill a Mockingbird, which I'd meant to finish two days ago. Slowly, other students began trickling in, and I vaguely wondered whether or not Martin was going to sit beside me.

"Prudence," I heard a voice call, and sure enough there he was, entering the classroom.

Before I could respond to him, however, George slid in next to me. "What are you doing?"

"Just sitting beside my favorite Hufflepuff," he winked, then leaned in closer. "Look, I need to talk to you about our next testing session," he whispered. Martin tossed me a questioning look and settled beside Terrence. Grace gave me a glare and moodily returned to her conversation with Patrick.

With a sigh, I turned to him, ready to get it over with, but Umbridge entered the room. "Wands away," she requested, although no one had bothered to take their wands out in the first place.

"Open your books to page 96 please, and read the chapter detailing how to defend yourself against various magical creatures."

Was this what the entire year was going to be like? Reading and taking notes out of our book? Were we ever going to practice spells, or duel, or do anything useful? How was this going to prepare us for graduation? I wouldn't be of any use as a healer if I couldn't identify the sorts of curses that my patients were injured with, and I certainly wouldn't be able to undo them.

My eyes blearily followed the text on the page, which suddenly began to change form.

_Can't do tonight,_ it read. _Friday at nine?_

I cast a sideways glance at George, who was twiddling his thumbs in an attempt to look inconspicuous. I nodded at him slightly and returned to the reading, which had thankfully gone back to normal. That was unusually clever magic, and it had been done wordlessly too. He could apparently do nonverbal spells. George was a lot cleverer than he let on.

Class let out after what seemed like three hours, and George got up and left without another word to me. I barely had time to cast him a confused glance before Martin was at my side.

"Why was Weasley sitting next to you?" he inquired too quickly to seem casual.

His blue eyes stared down at me. "Oh, er, I don't know. He kind of just sat there and didn't say anything."

"Probably trying to get you into trouble again," Martin muttered angrily, taking my satchel from my shoulder and slinging it over his.

I quirked a brow at Grace and mouthed, 'territorial much?' She shrugged and nudged me even closer to his side. He smiled down at me. What on earth was I getting myself into?

While we were eating dinner after our final class of the day, Transfiguration, Patrick brought up the topic of a party that some sixth years were throwing in the common room on Friday. Grace excitedly began chattering about what she was going to wear, and Patrick and Terrence began betting on which fifth year was going to pass out first.

Martin turned to me and a heavy pit seemed to settle into my stomach. "Fancy going with me?" he asked, his arm much too close to mine to be incidental.

"That sounds nice," I spoke carefully, trying not to appear too eager but also attempting not to hurt his feelings. "What time?"

He shrugged. "The parties typically start around nine."

My eyes darted over to the Gryffindor table where Fred and George were amusing their housemates with a joke. "Oh I uh, promised someone that I'd help them with Herbology homework at that time."

"You're tutoring someone at nine on a Friday?"

Grace turned her head ever so slightly towards me. "Well, they're pretty embarrassed about having to be tutored, and they wanted to do it at a time that no one else would be studying."

Martin frowned. "Well, I guess I can understand that. But you'll come after?"

"Sure," I nodded, playing with my fork.

"Good." He gave my hand a slight squeeze before joining in on the betting with Patrick and Terrence.

I returned to watching George, who was now charming someone's pudding to shout obscenities. Why was my heart pounding so much?

* * *

**A/N: Stay tuned for a Puffer party, the effects of a Nosebleed Nougat, and a potential new alliance!**


	4. There Ain't No Party Like a Puffer Party

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR! Enjoy!**

* * *

Thursday went by in a blur. Grace continued to hiss tips into my ear and force me upon Martin, who seemed all too eager. Astronomy had become my favorite class. Sinistra didn't care if we talked so long as we got our work done, and the twins were actually quite amusing when they weren't fishing for the attention of the entire room. I'd determined that Fred was more of the showman between the pair. Sure George could add his flair in when he wanted to, but usually he just let his brother play off of him. Lee was like the buffer, the one that stopped the pair from getting too out of hand, and he seemed to have more of a level head about him.

Plus, it was nice to have a class free of Grace and Martin. The only other Hufflepuff taking Astronomy was Noel, who kept to herself. As long as Grace wasn't shoving the fact that Martin fancied me in her face, she didn't seem to have an issue with me.

She'd been sleeping in the boys' dormitory lately. I don't think she was taking kindly to Grace's passive aggressive Martin-Prudence speak. I myself began wishing that I could get away from her. Grace was very controlling, and her constant perkiness was getting on my last nerve. In fact, I was currently counting down the minutes until I could escape to Gryffindor Tower.

"Do you like this little black dress, or this one?" she asked, holding up two nearly identical articles of clothing. She turned towards me inquiringly.

I frowned like I was thinking hard on the subject. "Definitely the second one."

I'd become rather adept at Grace-speak in the past week.

"You're so right," she sighed, stripping down to her knickers. "Now it's time to pick out your outfit!

"I don't want anything too fancy, all right? Can't be showing up to tutor looking like I'm headed out to the club, yeah?"

The look on her face was slightly terrifying. "I have _just _the thing!"

After twenty minutes of having various bits of clothing chucked at my head, she finally found what she was looking for. I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's actually not too bad."

The top was black, long-sleeved, and lacy. I slid it on over a black tank top and my jeans, before sliding into my well-worn riding boots. I'd allowed Grace to straighten my hair, but drew the line at the gold lipstick and turquoise eyeliner.

"Come on! It's time to go!" she all but yelled. I sighed, grabbed my satchel so I could at least keep up the pretense of tutoring, and reluctantly followed her out the door and down the tunnel. The smell of alcohol wafted into my nose, and I was instantly reminded of why I usually spent my Friday nights in the library.

The music was loud, bottles of Firewhiskey and Butterbeer whizzed around the room, and a gaggle of fourth year girls were dancing atop the table.

"I'm going to get going," I shouted into Grace's ear.

She turned to me in shock. "What? Not yet! You've got to say hello to Martin, he did ask you here after all!"

I could feel my eyelid twitching in irritation. First of all, I wasn't Martin's date. Secondly, he invited me to a party that was open to any student in our entire house. There were first years running around on the dance floor for God's sake. "Right, yes," I muttered as we weaved our way through the crowd.

People were yelling left and right. A group of students were playing strip-Exploding Snap, and Patrick was shotgunning two cans of beer simultaneously. Noel looked disinterested.

"Hey, you made it!" Martin exclaimed, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. His stubble rubbed against my skin and made me cringe slightly.

"I actually have to get going," I said apologetically. "Don't want to be late. Tutoring and all that."

Martin swayed slightly on his feet, indicating that he was well on his way to a drunken stupor. "Hurry back!"

Without bothering to respond, I hightailed it out of the common room, gasping for breath by the time I reached the corridor. The smell of smoke and alcohol followed me out, and I prayed to Merlin that no professors were patrolling on the first floor.

I wished there was a way for me to return to the anonymity that I had last term. The absolute last thing that I wanted to do was go back into that crowded room and be forced to endure a night full of completely pissed Puffers.

I checked my watch as I came up to the sixth floor. 9:03. Curse Grace Bukowski. If I'd just left when I wanted to…

I rounded the corner of the top floor and spotted George leaned up against the walls with his eyes shut. A grin slid across my face as an idea popped into my head.

As quietly as I could, I walked over to where he was standing, got right next to his ear, and screamed, "GEORGE!"

"AHHHH!" he yelped, jumping about a foot in the air. "Merlin Prudence, what are you trying to do, scare me out my wits?"

I shrugged. "I didn't think you had any wits to begin with."

George shot me a look. "Ha-ha. Come on, let's head on up then."

He whispered the password to the Fat Lady, who gave a disapproving glare. Perhaps because I'd startled her, or because I wasn't a Gryffindor. The common room was surprisingly empty, and the still of the air calmed me.

George gave a long yawn, then gestured for me to go up the stairs first. "Hard night?" I inquired.

"We were working on our Skiving Snackboxes until three in the morning," he muttered.

"You seemed much more awake in class today," I observed, glancing back at him. He wasn't looking at my face.

He dodged a kick I aimed at him and caught my foot, tripping me onto the carpeted step. "Oi, watch it Turner! And yes, caffeine is a wonderful invention."

With a scowl, I allowed him to help me back on my feet. "You deserved that kick."

He placed one hand on his door, preventing me from entering. "You're telling me," he began with a smirk, "that if there was a foxy Puffer walking up the stairs in front of you that you wouldn't sneak a peek at their bum?"

"Hardly," I sniffed. "Only like Claw bums myself."

George chuckled and opened the door. We were greeted by a mini-firework exploding in our faces, causing me to shriek and duck behind him.

"Ah Prudence! Like our prototype?" Fred said with a wink, pulling me out from behind his brother. The dormitory was coated with ashes.

Lee briefly glanced up from the parchment he was writing on, raised his wand, and the soot disappeared.

"Please tell me that's not what I'm testing." I folded my arms as I eyed the twins warily.

George grinned. "Don't be silly, we'd never make you ingest a firework!"

"Yeah!" Fred added. "Just this Nosebleed Nougat!"

I blinked. "Did I hear the word bleed?" A small piece of chocolate was pressed into my palm.

"You certainly did my dear," George winked. "Guaranteed to get you out of class in five seconds flat!"

Frowning, I glared down at my hand. "I don't particularly enjoy blood," I warned them.

"Not to worry," Fred responded. "This is the candy that will stop the bleeding. Or at least, it should."

Seeing my panicked expression, George gently settled me on his bed. "We've already tested this, remember? We bled for an hour and had to drink a Blood-Replenishing potion. But we adjusted the blood thinners in it, so it should stop right away."

The room was silent for a moment as the three of them watched me eagerly. With a sigh, I forced the nougat into my unwilling mouth and chewed. Almost instantaneously, blood began to pour out of my nostrils, and Fred hastily handed me a handkerchief.

"Eat the other bit," George urged, and I pressed it into my mouth as quickly as I could without consuming my own bodily fluid.

The blood didn't stop flowing. "Erm, guys?"

"Just give it another minute, perhaps." Fred tried to hide his worried expression.

Lee jumped up. "And erm, come into the bathroom."

I was too freaked out to be revolted. I hated men's loos, they were always disgusting, but thankfully the floor was tidy and the counter clean. Lee turned on the tap and I let the blood wash down the drain, creating a strange pattern on the porcelain.

The three of them hovered anxiously by the door until finally, six minutes later, the last of the blood trickled down into the sink.

"How do you feel?" George asked.

I attempted to take a step towards them and found myself staring at four Weasleys. "Um…"

"Get her on the bed, get her on the bed." They jumped into action, the twins grabbing my arms and propelling me onto the nearest mattress.

Dizzily, I gazed up at the canopy. "I'm guessing…that wasn't supposed to happen?"

"No," George said nervously. "It wasn't."

The three of them conversed quietly for a moment.

"Prudence, you're going to stay here for a while, okay? Have a rest."

I managed to nod, my eyelids already fluttering shut. They all headed towards the door. "No, someone stay…please…" I whispered, and I vaguely felt the weight at the end of the bed shift. The door closed and the room became silent, and I let my body give in to the events of the day.

When I awoke, the room was dimly lit and there was no sound coming from the common room below. "George?"

The redhead turned in surprise from his position atop his desk, where he was tinkering with a teacup. "You're awake."

I glanced around for a clock. "What time is it?"

"About half past eleven," George responded.

"What?! I need to get back!" I cried, tossing aside the covers and scrambling to my feet, only to fall backwards as my vision became suddenly dark.

George leapt over to me. "Easy there woman, what are you, nuts? You passed out due to blood loss and you get up like that?"

I clutched at his arm that wrapped around my shoulder, allowing him to gently sit me upright. "And whose fault is that?"

"I'm really sorry about," he said guiltily, gripping my upper arms and slowly bringing me to a standing position. "You don't have to test anything else of ours, I'll give you the rest of the money now."

I shook my head as quickly as I dared. "No, I need to earn the money. And besides, I want to help."

George gave me a funny look. "Really? Even after you bled out of your nose for ten minutes?"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't want to if I could run," I joked as we made our way over to the door, still gripping his arm for support.

He chuckled as we headed down the steps. My feet grew steadier underneath me by the time we reached the common room, where Fred and Lee were dozing off by the fire.

"I think I'll be all right from here," I said to George. "You should go to bed, you were tired hours ago."

"Nah," he responded, wrapping an arm more securely around my waist. "Wouldn't be much of a Gryffindor if I didn't take you back to your dormitory now, would I?"

I rolled my eyes but was secretly glad. I didn't think I'd be able to make it very far on my own. "Those sodding nougats were really strong. Whatever you cut the dosage of blood thinners by before, I'd cut that in half."

George nodded, tucking his free hand into his pocket. "Don't worry, we won't make you test that one again. I'll just make Fred do it."

"Why do I get the feeling that Fred does a lot of the testing and not you?"

"Because I'm generally more brilliant than him and am therefore much more valuable?" He fluttered his lashes at me innocently and I laughed quietly, not wishing to get caught after curfew when I wasn't in the position to be able to move very quickly.

The walk was a relatively peaceful one. Once we got down to the lower floors, we didn't really talk, as we weren't sure who was out patrolling, but it wasn't awkward in the slightest. There were a few times where I'd stumbled, and I'd caught George's eye and the two of us started giggling. It was the most fun I'd had all week.

Finally, we reached the stack of barrels, and I untangled myself from his arm. "This is me."

"This is you," George agreed, surveying me carefully. "You should be all right with a good night's sleep, but if you still feel off in the morning, come find me and I'll get you a Blood Replenishing potion, yeah?"

I nodded as he turned and began to walk away. "George," I called softly.

The redhead glanced back, his hands in his pockets.

I bit my lip. "Thanks. For, you know, walking me back."

"Doing my duty as a student of Gryffindor House," he replied with a wink.

Rolling my eyes to myself, I tapped on the barrel and carefully made my way through the tunnel.

"Oh no…" I whispered in horror. I'd completely forgotten about the party, which was in full swing.

"Hey, look who's back!" a drunken Grace slurred, her firewhiskey sloshing onto the floor. Terrence was mauling her neck.

I took a quick surveillance of the scene. Many students had already passed out, some on the couches, some on the floor, and some were even floating around in the air, undoubtedly a prank pulled by their music raged louder than ever, and by now dozens of drinks had been spilled onto every surface.

Hufflepuffs were not known for holding their booze.

"Prudence, where've you been?" Martin cried, stumbling his way over to me and crushing me in a bear hug.

His breath reeked of alcohol. "Erm, Martin, how much have you had to drink?"

He turned his head up to the ceiling. "I dunno, four, seven?"

"Right then, let's sit you down," I decided, guiding him over to an empty chair. As I helped him into it, he reached out and pulled me into his lap. I nearly passed out again at the quick movement, and struggled against him. "Martin, let me go."

He pouted. "But you've been gone all night, I missed you!"

"Martin. Let. Go," I spoke through gritted teeth, my patience growing thin.

Suddenly, he slumped backwards against the chair and began to snore. "You all right?"

I turned to find a very sober, very irritated Noel. "Erm, yes, thanks."

"I've been playing Mommy all night," she grouched, snatching a drink out of the hands of a third year that ran by.

"Well, I'm headed to bed. Are you coming?" I asked, not quite sure how to respond.

Noel tossed back her strawberry blonde hair and watched Grace spinning around in the middle of the dance floor in disgust. "Hell yes."

The two of us picked our way across the room, stepping over passed out students and couples snogging as we went. My head was pounding, and I ached for the silence of the Gryffindor common room. I breathed a sigh of relief as the door shut behind us.

"Thanks again for Martin," I said quietly, walking over to my trunk and pulling out pajamas.

"Don't mention it." From the tone of her voice, I made a mental note to definitely never mention it again. I watched as she readied herself for bed, placing a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on Grace's bedside.

She saw me looking and rolled her eyes. "She's even more of a bint than usual when she's hungover."

I nodded and pulled on my nightclothes in silence, trying to find the right words. "Noel, I think I misjudged you."

"Oh?" Her voice gave nothing away, and I couldn't see her face as she was staring out the window, so I plowed ahead.

"I thought all these years that the two of you never liked me, but, maybe, I could've been nicer. I didn't really make much of an effort. And, for the record, I don't fancy Martin. I promise." She said nothing, so I wandered into the bathroom in defeat to remove my makeup and brush my teeth.

I don't know what I expected. It's not like she would've grabbed my hands and we'd have started to sing Kumbayah or anything. Plus, by the time I finished preparing for bed, Noel's hangings were already shut, putting a definite end to that conversation. With a sigh, I clambered into my own bed, extinguishing the lamps with my wand.

I awoke at nine the next morning, and decided to get a jumpstart on the day while everyone else was asleep. As silently as I could, I showered, dressed, plaited back my hair, and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

The common room was still littered with sleeping students, although it was clear the house elves had stopped by. The rubbish was gone, as were the alcohol stains in the carpet. Martin remained passed out in the armchair, and someone had inked his face with a very feminine-looking dragon.

The Great Hall was nearly deserted, with only a few Ravenclaws and professors at their respective tables. Happily, I settled myself onto the bench and poured myself a cup of tea, munching on a few biscuits as I took out my book. I was absolutely determined to finish it.

I reveled in the early morning. The main thing I loved about not being a party person was having the castle mostly to myself. I read my book to the end, finally leaving the world of the Finches behind, then grabbed my satchel and headed to the library to get some work done.

Charles Goldstein was the only one in there when I arrived, and he nodded as I passed by. Huh. I was even getting acknowledged by the Head Boy now. My life had gotten very interesting lately. Shaking my head, I took a seat at my table near the back and spread my books out on the surface.

"I've got Charms, Potions, Transfig, and Herbology…" I murmured to myself. Technically, I had Defense homework, but honestly, I didn't care. A shiver ran down my spine and I smirked at my own pathetic little rebellion.

By the time I'd finished my first essay on the properties of the momentum spell for Flitwick, other students had begun to trickle in. Around one in the afternoon, my stomach began to rumble uncontrollably, and I packed my bag up with a sigh. I still had so much more work to get done.

On my way out of the library, I spotted George turning the corner. "George! Hey, George!" I called out, walking faster so I could catch up.

The redhead slowed his pace as he turned and saw who was flagging him down. "Hey, how are you feeling this morning?"

I frowned, noticing the bags underneath his eyes. "You didn't sleep well?"

"No I, uh, had detention rather early this morning," he said bitterly, rubbing the back of his hand.

"Umbridge?" I gasped, grabbing his arm. 'I must not break curfew' was etched into his hand, the words mixing with 'I must not disrupt the class.'

George gently retracted his hand. "I got caught walking back last night. I knew I should've been more careful, I was just exhausted is all."

"George I am so sorry, it's all my fault," I started, but he shushed me.

"Nonsense, nonsense. I know this castle like the, well, the back of my hand, and I should've known someone would be patrolling the third floor." He began to walk again and I followed him, guiltily eyeing his injury.

We walked in silence for a while, until he finally turned to me in exasperation. "Prudence, for the love of Merlin, stop feeling badly about it. It's not your fault!"

I shot him a look. "Fine. But do you need anything for your hand? Essence of Murtlap works wonders."

"I've got some yeah, but I think I'll leave it for now. It'll fuel my hatred for that troll of a woman," he snarled.

With an awkward pat on the shoulder, I departed for the Hufflepuff table. I wasn't quite sure how to talk to George when he was in such a foul mood. It was very out of character for him. With a sigh, I forced myself to sit next to Grace, who was cradling her head in her hands.

"Afternoon," I said quietly, helping myself to some shepherd's pie.

She mumbled something incoherent and shifted slightly to reveal several hickies on her neck.

"Hi Prudence." Martin ran a hand through his hair anxiously. The ink had been washed off of his face.

I waved slightly, swallowing my mouth full of food. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too badly, thankfully. We've got to head down to the pitch soon and prepare for tryouts tomorrow."

Patrick was vomiting into his school bag and Terrence was snoring with his elbow in his pudding. "It will be a short practice," Martin decided.

We ate our meals in silence once Patrick had recovered. Noel patted his back, looking extremely revolted.

"I'm going to head down to the pitch…walk with me Prudence?" Martin requested as he stood.

I shot Noel an apologetic look and received a glare. With a sigh, I reluctantly put down my fork and followed him out into the Entrance Hall. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering, did I do anything to offend you last night? I remember seeing you walk back into the common room, but I don't remember anything else."

Well, there was the fact that you forced me onto your lap and refused to let go, even when I grew angry.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, looking anxious. "…Prudence?"

"No, nothing you have to worry about," I said finally.

Martin looked visibly relieved. "Great! I was worried I'd done something embarrassing. Well, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure, yeah."

Why did I dread it?

The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Most of Sunday was dedicated to homework, which was also a good excuse to avoid Martin and the lot. Not to mention, I wanted to get ahead on the reading for Charms and Transfiguration, as those were the classes I struggled with the most, and I was determined to do well on my NEWTs.

"Prudence, Grace, come check this out!" Terrence called as we entered the common room on Monday morning.

Grace sauntered over. "What's up?"

Martin gestured to the notice board. "Look."

"High Inquisitor…?" My brow creased as I scanned over the piece of parchment. "What does that even mean? And she's inspecting classes? For what?"

"So she can go back to her little bitch Fudge and tell her what a terrible school Dumbledore's running, obviously," Noel remarked scathingly.

Patrick gave his girlfriend a surprised look. "Damn babe, calm down, it's probably nothing."

Noel fixed him with a death glare that just about terrified me into the next century. "No. I'm sick of Umbridge! I think we've all had a pretty damn good education up to this point, don't you? Who does she think she is, 'inspecting' the other professors? I think I'll end up just fine without her class."

"Noel, you can't skive off class," I murmured, not wanting her anger to become directed at me.

Her gaze softened ever so slightly for a moment, then hardened. "So tell her I'm ill."

We all turned and watched her storm back to our dormitory. To be honest, I wanted to join her.

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**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Feel free to drop a review! Next time, lines are drawn, allegiances made, and Prudence finds herself in a most unfamiliar situation.**

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	5. Staying Positive(ly Miserable)

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

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This was turning out to be a completely unbearable Monday. The breakfast conversation revolved around the defending of Umbridge, unbelievably. Terrence and Martin's parents both had jobs at the Ministry, Grace was too dull to have a different opinion, and Patrick had been notoriously anti-Dumbledore since he'd passed him up for prefect twice.

There were conversations like this all around the school. Potions was awful. One nasty Slytherin named Montague was loudly speaking about how he'd quite like to see Umbridge become Headmistress so everyone could be 'put in their place.' I'd exchanged an ugly look with Lee, who looked fit to murder.

Ancient Runes was only slightly better, as there were fewer Slytherins. However, there were many future Ministry workers among our ranks, and I was forced to listen to two Ravenclaws talk about how Dumbledore was "starting to go."

By the time I got to Defense class, I felt as though I was going to explode. There was an open seat next to both Martin and Grace, who were staring at me, but I turned my back on them and settled in between the twins.

"Prudence!" Fred exclaimed. "What a lovely surprise."

George winked. "It appears that we've brought you to the dark side."

"The dark side meaning the back row? I couldn't give a sod about this class," I muttered furiously.

Lee peered around George's shoulder. "Do you feel like you're going to kill someone as well?"

The door closed behind Umbridge, who looked perfectly content with her stupid pink bow resting on her fat head. "Oh yeah," I responded darkly.

Though the four of us did not dare talk in her class, we exchanged notes with the spell that George had used on me several days ago. Mostly, it just confirmed what I already knew. The school was turning against Dumbledore. Despite most students despising Umbridge, no one was willing to side against the Ministry.

Was I sure that You-Know-Who was back? No. But did I believe that our Headmaster would lie to us? Certainly not. Dumbledore had always led our school in the right direction before, and I decided to trust him. And if I was going to take him at his word, then I had to accept the fact that the Wizarding world was in mortal peril whether from the Death Eaters, You Know Who, or both.

The class went by rather quickly, what with our textbook-conversations. There were several times where I could barely contain my laughter. Fred was quite a talented artist with his wand, and by the end, I was thoroughly cheered up.

I tried to flee the room with the twins as the bell rang, but Grace moved too quickly.

"How dare you do that to Martin?" she hissed in my ear, digging her talons into my skin. "You really hurt his feelings!"

I raised a brow. "What do you care about Martin's feelings?" I asked coolly, allowing her to drag me into the Great Hall for lunch. "You've been screwing with them just so you could stick it to Noel."

Her sparkly mouth was agape, but she lost the chance to respond as Patrick and Terrence joined us.

"I think that chapter actually had some useful information in it," Terrence stated as he stuffed a roll into his mouth hungrily.

Martin settled himself beside me and reached across my plate to get to the grilled chicken. "Yeah, especially that stuff on protection spells."

Was I in a parallel universe? "You guys are all mad."

The conversation died down as they turned to stare at me.

"What is with you today?" Grace asked disbelievingly.

"Me? What's with the lot of you? Suddenly you're on Umbridge's side?" My temper was quickly rising.

Martin laid a hand on my arm. "Prudence, I think you should calm down. We're not saying we agree with Umbridge, but we do agree that perhaps Dumbledore isn't leading the school as…stably as he has in years past."

As I watched the bobbing heads of Terrence, Patrick, and Grace, I decided I'd had enough. "Good for you," I said, tossing down my fork. The sound attracted the attention of nearly half the table, but for once I didn't care. "Enjoy your lunch, hope it won't be too difficult trying to eat while your heads are up your arses!"

Grabbing my satchel, I stormed across the hall to where Fred, George, and Lee were eating at the Gryffindor table. "Mind if I sit here?"

Fred's blueberry pie fell off of his fork in surprise, and I was consciously aware of nearly every set of eyes in the hall watching me.

"Of course you can!" George declared smoothly, shoving his bag onto the floor to clear a space for me.

I sat down with as much dignity as I could. "Couldn't bloody take it anymore."

George patted my arm comfortingly. "Prudence, we've got something to discuss with you, not about the products, but something more important. Can you come to our dorm tonight after your prefect rounds?"

"Of course," I answered shortly, stabbing at the potatoes that Fred spooned onto my plate. I'd forgotten about my rounds…I had them after dinner with Martin. Bloody fantastic.

I tried to drag my day out as long as possible, dreading when I'd have to answer for my lunch time outburst. The school had changed topic from Dumbledore's insanity to my temper tantrum. I guess it was only fair, seeing as how the majority of the people in the room had probably assumed that I was mute. My yelling had taken them all by surprise.

The school was growing more divided by the minute. Even as I walked the corridors, I could see it. People who were known Dumbledore supporters, especially me, who had just made that very clear, were getting glares from those who backed Fudge. I even saw a few jinxes get cast before professors could put a stop to it.

I walked to Herbology alone for the first time this term, not caring where the others even were. I strided purposefully into the greenhouse, trying not to show everyone how much I was trembling, and settled myself onto a stool beside Noel.

She eyed me carefully. "Where's Grace?"

"Wouldn't know. I may have blown up at them during lunch." I pretended to be very interested in the plants that were set up on the tables before us.

Noel nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I may have heard something about that."

"Like, 'Prudence Turner is a crazy bint?'" I inquired innocently.

She cracked a smile finally. "You know, I think I saw that scrawled on one of the stalls in the fourth floor loo."

The pair of us laughed together, attracting even more looks. I flushed and sat rigidly in my seat.

"Prudence, relax would you? You're not doing yourself any favors by acting like a freak," Noel said as she rolled her eyes.

There was a commotion as the greenhouse door opened, and Patrick, Terrence, Martin, and Grace strolled in. Grace had her arm wrapped around Martin's bicep, but his mind appeared to be elsewhere. We made eye contact and I hastily looked away.

Patrick shot Noel a filthy look as he and Terrence took their places at the back of the room. "Damn, what did you do to Patrick?"

"Told him he could date Umbridge instead," she said as she took out her compact mirror and adjusted her makeup.

It seemed like Umbridge's little Educational Decree had drawn very harsh lines in the sand, so to speak. There was no middle ground; you were either with Fudge, or you were with Dumbledore. Was this what Harry Potter felt like all the time, ridiculed and declared a liar? I felt a sudden rush of gratitude for him.

I honestly tried my best to pay attention to Sprout, but I simply did not care what the properties of Asphodel were. My mind drifted back to Cedric. I wondered which side of the line he would be on? His father was a Ministry worker in the department of Magical Sports and Games, pretty highly ranked, but he'd always been very adamant with his support of Dumbledore. I was painfully reminded that if he'd come out of that maze alive, none of this would be happening. He would be sitting next to Martin, and I'd be sitting three rows ahead of him and daydreaming about his smile. I gripped the table tightly.

I missed him. I missed him so much. I shouldn't be doing my prefect rounds with Martin. Charles Goldstein shouldn't be Head Boy. Umbridge shouldn't be at Hogwarts. I shouldn't be sitting beside Noel.

"God, that bitch," came from beside me, and I followed Noel's gaze. Grace was shamelessly flirting with Martin, her hands running all over his shoulders as she giggled and nudged him playfully.

"You can do so much better than that." Noel gave me a surprised look, but I simply shrugged. It was true. Martin may have been good looking and a talented quidditch player, but his mind was too malleable and his personality too bland.

I walked back up to the castle with Noel, but we didn't speak. She was too concentrated on her ex-best mate and her bouncing blonde ponytail. We separated as I headed to the library and her to the common room without another word. Even though I was sitting at the very back, out of most students' eyesight, there was a constant buzz in the room. Madame Pince looked like she very much wanted to punish whomever was responsible for it, but she couldn't quite discern who was behind it, as everyone was whispering to one another.

I avoided going to the Great Hall for dinner all together, choosing instead to eat in the kitchens. I took my sweet time, ordering appetizers, entrees, desserts, and tea, but at 6:57, I couldn't delay any longer. I was supposed to meet Martin in the Entrance Hall, and despite my misgivings about him, I'd never skived off of my prefect duties before.

Of course he was already there waiting for me. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off, unwilling to hear anymore Ministry-biased bollocks. "Let's just get this over with."

There was no talk between us as we walked along the second floor, checking all of the classrooms and broom closets periodically. Every time he attempted to speak, I would increase my pace and put as much distance between us as possible.

"Prudence, will you please look at me!" he finally burst out, tossing his arms up into the air.

With a sigh, I turned around. "If you're looking for an apology, you're not going to get one."

"What is your problem?" Martin asked in amazement.

My temper, which had already come to a boiling point once today, was rising again. "How would you know if this wasn't normal for me? It took you six years to even have a civil conversation with me."

He chuckled and rubbed his jaw. "Look, I'm sorry for that, but if I can't claim to know you, then you can't claim to know me. The things you said at lunch today were extremely out of line."

"I'll give you an explanation if you give me one," I countered, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fine. Go ahead."

The two of us were facing each other in the middle of the corridor. "Why did you all of a sudden start talking to me, and acting like my mate?"

Instead of getting angry like I expected, Martin let out a long sigh. "I suppose I should tell you."

"Tell me what?" I asked suspiciously, stepping closer to him.

"I was just trying to keep an eye on you. Cedric would have wanted me to."

My arms dropped to my sides. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Martin grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me to the side of the corridor as a gaggle of Ravenclaws passed. "I was hoping I'd never have to tell you this. Honestly, I wanted you to just forget about it. But that was wrong of me. You deserve the truth. Prudence, you liked Cedric, didn't you?"

"Yes, so did tons of people," I said defensively.

He shook his head. "No, I mean you fancied him. And…I think he fancied you too. He spoke of you a lot. Was constantly telling us all the hilarious things you'd said to him, and he always looked forward to your prefect rounds. I think that if Cho hadn't been so forward last year, then he would've asked you to the Yule Ball instead. He cared for you a lot, Prudence."

"Why are you just now telling me this?" My voice was thick with tears as I vainly attempted to keep my emotions under control.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just didn't want to see you upset," Martin pleaded, grabbing my hand.

I wrenched away from him. "That wasn't your decision to make!"

"I'm sorry! Prudence!" he called after me, but I couldn't turn around. I couldn't stay in that conversation. I felt like I'd just been punched in the gut, while having a bucket of ice poured over me as I was stabbed with a burning hot knife.

Everything that I'd felt for Cedric that I'd told myself for six years I was imagining, was true. How he would tell me whatever was on his minds during rounds, how he'd teasingly take my book away from me at breakfast, how he'd brush my hair out of my eyes and tell me not to cover up such a pretty face.

We could have been together. We could've had more time.

I found myself outside the portrait hole to the Gryffindor common room without any recollection of how I got there, but I couldn't bring myself to go in. I needed a minute, that was all, yeah. I headed back around the corner as I heard students coming from the other direction and slid down the wall, tucking my knees into my chest.

What would have happened if I wasn't such a coward? What if I'd just told him how I felt? I would've been his date to the Yule Ball, the one that he winked at in the stands during the Tri Wizard tournament, the one whose hand he held in the corridors and sat next to during classes. I should have just said it, instead of merely telling him good luck before he went into that maze. I'd lost my chance.

My breathing grew steadily more shallow as I became more and more agitated. It hadn't been in my head after all. This information should have made me feel better, but I actually felt worse. Much, much worse.

My body started shivering uncontrollably the harder I tried to catch my breath. I tried to muffle my sobs, but my hands were too slick with tears.

"Prudence, there you are! What are you doing on the floor?"

Slowly, I raised my head from my knees and peered up at George. I still couldn't breathe, and my eyes were full of panic. His expression morphed into one of worry.

"Let's not do that here, love, come on, up you go," he said soothingly as he pulled me to my feet. "That's right, just come over here, don't want people questioning your sanity and all that."

He tried for a joke but I couldn't laugh. I could hardly follow him without stumbling, my legs were trembling so much. He led the pair of us into a closet before shutting the door and turning on the light. "Prudence, what's wrong?"

His voice was urgent, and I didn't want to burden him. "Cedric. H-He liked me," I hiccupped. "M-Martin just said."

He muttered to himself as he rubbed a hand over his face. "What do you mean when you say he liked you? I need you to tell me, okay?"

I shook my head vigorously, trying to step away from him but only succeeding in knocking over a spare mop. I jumped at the noise.

"Prudence please," George pleaded. "You'll feel better after it's out in the open. And I can't help without knowing what's happening."

We stood there for a long time while I attempted to calm myself. He silently conjured me a chair and pushed me into it.

Finally, I took a shuddering breath. "Cedric. I think I loved him. And I should have told him, but I never did. Instead, I watched him go off with Cho and only managed a good luck before he went into that fucking maze. And Martin just said…"

Without looking up at him, I forced myself to go on. "Martin just told me that Cedric f-felt the same way as I did. But I didn't know, I didn't know!" I cried hysterically, my entire body shaking.

"Hey, look at me," George said as he knelt down. "I can't even pretend to understand everything you're feeling right now, but I'd imagine you feel sad, angry, frustrated, perhaps a bit nauseous?"

At my reluctant nod, he continued eagerly. "So maybe Cedric didn't know how you felt about him when he was still here, but what mattered was that he went into that maze knowing that you were his friend, and that you were with him until the very end. It was clear to the entire school how much he valued his relationship with you, and all that you can do now is remember him, all the good memories, and make sure he's not forgotten."

I gave a small hiccup and wiped at my eyes furiously with my robe sleeves. "I know it's pointless to cry about it, it's not like I can bring him back, it's just…what if? You know?"

"Do you believe in fate Prudence?" George asked quietly. It was unnerving to see him act so serious.

Hesitantly, I nodded my head yes. "I suppose I do, yeah."

"Then if you and Cedric are supposed to be together, you will be. Not here, not now, but one day."

He held out one arm and I allowed myself to be hugged. Guiltily I acknowledged how nice and warm he was, which made me feel worse, so I unwillingly pulled away. "Sorry," I whispered shyly, unsure of what to say.

"Nonsense! I comfort Fred all the time when he cries! And trust me, he's not nearly as pretty a crier as you," he confided jokingly.

This time I gave a watery laugh. "So, do you still need to talk to me about, er, whatever it was?"

He shook his head adamantly. "Not tonight, no. We'll reschedule. I'm going to take you back to your common room and you're going to get a good night's sleep. And I will go do all the homework that I've procrastinated on all day."

I accepted his proposal, and was extremely grateful that he didn't pressure me for any more details. He merely cracked a few more jokes and gave my shoulder a comforting pat whenever I got too silent. As I crawled into bed that night, ignoring both Grace and Noel, I vaguely wondered where he'd learned to be so empathetic.

The next morning, I awoke on my own with a minor headache. My cheeks felt uncomfortably dry. I must have cried in my sleep. Without waking the others, I made my way into the shower, imagining the steam washing away the horrors of last night. By the time I got out, I felt much better, George's words ringing clear in my mind.

Grace was just stirring as I was heading out of the dormitory, but I didn't bother saying good morning. As far as I was concerned, she could have the worst morning in all of Hogwarts history. The Great Hall was half full when I arrived, and I had a vague suspicion that everyone was making an extra effort to be on time, at least those who had Umbridge first. She'd been handing out a lot of detentions lately. I rubbed my thumb over the back of my hand subconsciously.

"Hey," I said quietly as I walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"Fine morning, isn't it?" Fred asked rhetorically, gesturing for me to sit.

George handed me a biscuit. "Fred and I were just going over the latest order forms."

Gratefully, I glanced over the parchment in front of them. Thank Merlin he wasn't mentioning last night. "Those look good. Any takers so far?"

"Not yet, but as soon as we're done working out all the kinks with the snack boxes, I'm sure we'll have dozens," Fred said confidently.

The three of us ate in silence for a few moments as Lee rushed into the hall, muttering about nifflers. We all chose to ignore him.

Finally, George turned to me. "Fancy a chat after classes?"

"Can I sit down?" came anxiously from behind us, cutting off my response.

My mouth dropped open slightly as Noel toyed with the strap of her bag. Thankfully, Lee had his wits about him.

"We've got room for pretty Hufflepuffs any time," he assured her with a wink, and it was quite unusual to see her blush rather than bite his head off. She was clearly out of her element.

Of course she wouldn't want to sit with Grace or Patrick, but I hadn't given much thought to what she would do on her own.

"So," Lee cleared his throat. "Want to come see my tarantula sometime?"

"THAT'S what's next to your bed?!" I shrieked. I saw Fred smirk out of the corner of my eye, and George snorted into his porridge.

Noel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How d'you know what he's got next to his bed?"

I floundered for a response until George cut in, sliding an arm around me. "Prudence here has been helping us with our Herbology work!"

"Prudence is shit at Herbology," Noel stated bluntly, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

George shrugged. "She's better than us."

Thankfully she seemed to accept this, spooning yogurt into her mouth. Lee was watching her in fascination.

Throughout the day, Noel stuck by our sides. She, like me, found the twins' light hearted humor to be preferable to the constant shallow blithering that came out of the mouths of Grace and the like. She'd even laughed at something I'd said during lunch, although she quickly pretended like it didn't happen.

As soon as the bell rang after McGonagall's class, Fred and George dragged me out of the room by my elbows. Lee stayed behind to shamelessly flirt with Noel, who was being strangely nice about it.

"Can you two please slow down? You're going to yank my arms from their sockets," I muttered, and they instantly released me.

"Sorry about that love," George said with a wink.

I tried my hardest to ignore the stirrings that I felt in my stomach. I'd been having strange thoughts about him all day, and I was only growing more confused. The only other person that I had ever felt that type of connection with was Cedric, so did this mean that I fancied George now?

Perhaps I was just looking for someone to comfort me. Someone to tell me everything would be all right. It was a bit pathetic of me to say the least, and as I watched him stroll along the corridors, making all the passersby laugh as he began to charm Zacharias Smith's hair bright pink, I decided that he deserved better than that. I would be his friend, and that was all. Just friends.

"How long is this going to take?" I asked, hoping my long silence wasn't suspicious. "I've got homework to do."

Fred shrugged. "Not too long, hopefully, all depends on you, doesn't it?"

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "And would it kill the pair of you to at least _attempt _your school work?"

"It's not that we can't do it," Fred shot back.

George nudged me with his shoulder. "It's more of the fact that we have a little problem with motivation."

I blinked. "Motivation, right. Well then walk faster! I want to be in the library by five, come on."

By the time we'd reached the seventh floor, Lee had caught up to us, bursting out of a tapestry and scaring the wits out of me. The twins hadn't even flinched.

"Dilligrout," Fred said plainly, and the portrait opened for us. I followed them apprehensively up to their dormitory, uncertain of what they had to talk to me about. I hoped it didn't have anything to do with Cedric. Surely George would be smarter than that.

The door shut behind us and Lee scowled to where Kenneth was sitting at his desk.

"Oi, Towler, we need the room," Fred said.

The prefect rolled his eyes and continued to read through his Charms book. "And I need to do homework."

The twins exchanged a look, and suddenly Kenneth, along with his entire desk, were floating out the door and down the staircase. Lee slammed the door and locked it, blocking out his shouts of indignance.

We observed each other for a moment. "Er, perhaps it would be better if you were sitting down," Fred stated, and I was led over to his bed.

I folded my arms, crossed my legs, and glared at them. "Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?

George stepped forward. "So you hate Umbridge, yeah?"

"And you agree that we aren't learning the things that we need to in class?" Fred cut in.

I barely had time to nod before Lee continued. "Well what would you say about learning defensive magic on our own?"

My brow furrowed. "Like…the four of us?"

"Yeah," George said slowly. "Us, and like twenty others."

"Twenty? Who? Who would we practice with, where would we practice, how would we not get caught?" I questioned them rapid fire, and they all held their hands out in defense.

Fred dared to step closest to me, despite my clear panic. "Just hear us out. We were approached by Hermione Granger a few days ago, who told us her idea."

"She wants to start a club where we practice defensive magic," Lee piped up.

I gaped at them. "A club? And who would be teaching us? Dumbledore?"

"Harry Potter," George said plainly.

Of course. The Boy Who Lived. The boy who had come back from the maze clutching Cedric's body, claiming he'd been murdered by You-Know-Who. "Is this supposed to be like the dueling club that Lockhart started in our fourth year?"

"Something like that," Fred agreed.

Something in their faces forced the question to my lips. "This isn't just about Umbridge, is it? You all believe that…that he's back."

The three of them nodded slowly, carefully, watching me as I processed the information. A bunch of students self-learning advanced defensive spells? No teacher? Our only instructor the last person to have seen Cedric alive? And all because they believed that the darkest wizard of all time, the one who had stolen my mother from me, was back and wreaking havoc?

George leaned against the bedpost. "You can still think about it if you want. We're having a meeting during the first Hogsmeade visit, next week. Even if you don't think you'll do it, at least come to the meeting, hear what Harry's got to say."

"Why did you ask me? How do you know I won't go blabbing about this to any professors?" I eyed them suspiciously.

Fred was the one to speak first. "Because we trust you. You're one of the few students left in this school that's not afraid to show your support for Dumbledore."

"And you want to get into healing school," George added. "There's bound to be tons of practical defense work for the exam."

All three of them looked extremely hopeful. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand in an attempt to remain calm. Fourteen years ago, my mother came back from a raid. Fourteen years ago, my mother went insane. Fourteen years ago, my mother looked me in the eyes and couldn't tell me my name. Fourteen years ago she was tortured into insanity.

I took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll come to the bloody meeting."

They all whooped and cheered, and when Fred dug around in his trunk and came up with bottles of Firewhiskey, I told them it was time for me to go to the library.

"I don't drink," I responded curtly, all but chucking the bottle away from my mouth. They yelled after me that I was being a party pooper, but I paid them no attention, instead trying to keep the images of Cedric and my mother from overtaking my vision. I reached the corridor and began the familiar path to the library, but stopped on the fourth floor and changed course to the dormitories. I had work to do.


	6. A Daughter's Love

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

As soon as I got back to my dormitory that afternoon, I abandoned all pretenses of homework and dropped to the ground so I could dig through my trunk. Ignoring Grace's stares, I scrounged until I came up with all of the newspaper articles I had been collecting since the end of last term.

My rustling was so loud that Grace made a sound of disgust, getting up to leave. She slammed the door behind her. I shook my head at her cattiness and spread all the titles out on the floor. There were Muggle ones as well as wizarding ones, and I quickly separated them into two piles. In the stack of magical papers, there were pages from the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, even one from the Quibbler, although I tossed that one aside.

I got out a piece of parchment and enlarged it as I began cutting out the titles that caught my eye. I began with the activity that happened at last year's World Cup, then painfully turned to the articles about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, using a sticking charm to glue them down. After that, I posted all articles in chronological order that either tried to prove or disprove what truly happened in the maze, jotting down a quick question mark beneath them.

"What happened to you Cedric?" I whispered to myself.

Next, I dealt with the Muggle articles. There were too many strange deaths and disappearances for it to be chance… Now that I looked at them all together, I figured it must have been the work of Death Eaters. But were they doing it under You-Know-Who's orders, or were they working alone? I scrawled a hasty 'Death Eaters plus or minus YKW?'

Then, of course, there was the entire debacle with last year's Defense professor, Alastor Moody, being a Death Eater in disguise, as well as Barty Crouch Senior's death. With a sigh, I moved into pages that were dated July and later.

Breathing more heavily now, I poured over the Prophet's Potter-bashing words, trying to see if their evidence was actually plausible. I hadn't examined them thoroughly before; at the time I'd received them, I wasn't in the position to deal with anything magical. I had let all my mail pile up on my desk until shortly before school began, when I had to sort through it to find my exam results and list of supplies.

I noticed that the Prophet spent more time trying to make Harry look like a deranged delinquent who enjoyed the limelight far too much than giving any evidence to support their claim that You-Know-Who was still dead. The quotes in the articles that were supposed to present an unbiased view to the readers were all from Ministry workers, and so who was to say their words weren't being paid for by Fudge himself?

I trusted the Ministry and its workers about as far as I could throw them. All my life I'd been living with an invalid because of their incompetence, and unwillingness to cooperate with those who knew better, such as Albus Dumbledore. My heart clenched as a thought occurred to me. MMy childhood had been stolen from me by You Know Who…were my teen years headed in the same direction?

Redirecting my attention, in an effort to maintain control, I scanned over my timeline, running my finger over the faded ink. My eyes came to a rest on a photograph of all four Tri-Wizard champions. Tears sprung to my eyes at Cedric's prideful grin.

I was startled from my sleuthing by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. The heels sounded suspiciously like Noel's. As quickly as I could, I swept the parchment back into my trunk, wiping my cheeks as I did so.

"Hey," I said breathlessly, casually leaning my bed. More tears were threatening to fall.

The strawberry blonde raised a brow. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Oh! I, erm, dropped my quill," I thought up wildly, nodding at her emphatically. I was a terrible liar. My father could always tell; it usually ended up horribly.

She walked into the room slowly and deposited her bag on her bed. "So shouldn't you be looking for it?"

I feigned shock and smacked my forehead. "Right! Yes, of course."

Noel wandered into the bathroom. "…gets weirder every day," she muttered.

Once the door was shut, I pulled myself to my feet, my head swimming. I'd been too preoccupied over the summer, with work and trying not to let any thoughts of Cedric invade my mind, to have bought into the Ministry's rubbish, but I hadn't exactly been holding a torch for Harry Potter either. Honestly, and I know it was childish of me, I hated him for being the last one to see him, to speak with him. I didn't envy him, I don't think anyone did, but he was the only person at Hogwarts that was there that night.

As Noel reentered the room, I cleared my head of the thoughts buzzing around as best I could and poured over my Potions book so I could begin my essay on the properties of Hornbeam and its uses in Blood Replenishing potions. Once I picked my quill up, I did not put it down for three hours, steadily writing until I had finished every single assignment due for the next two days.

"Fancy going to dinner?" Noel asked, trying to pass her awkwardness off as casualty. She wasn't used to being civil with me. I imagined she was refraining from rolling her eyes.

I shrugged, figuring she didn't want to have to walk over to the Gryffindor table alone. "Sure."

I had my own personal agenda for bringing Noel. The twins couldn't pester me about my decision without tipping her off about the meeting, and Lee would be much too distracted by her legs to pay me any attention.

Ten minutes later, my method was proven. I happily sipped my pumpkin juice and enjoyed my roast beef as the twins held a spirited discussion with Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas about who was going to win the League cup for quidditch this year, reveling in being left alone. Noel pretended not to notice Lee accidentally stick his elbow into the butter as he stared at her unabashedly.

The week passed much too quickly for my liking. I'd had two more prefect rounds with Martin, during which we remained absolutely silent. He seemed to be too scared to speak up, seeing as how every time he opened his mouth my hand jumped to my wand in warning. Noel was becoming more accustomed to her new "clique." I sometimes caught her smiling at Lee's outlandish compliments, and she had even helped Fred once when he struggled to perfect changing his facial features in Transfiguration.

Umbridge had not assigned any of us a detention, although she was certainly close at one point, when Fred had sent a Tripping Jinx at her in the middle of class on Wednesday. Isabella Mortenstein had asked whether or not a stunning spell would have the same effect on a werewolf as it did a wizard, which spanned into a thirty minute discourse on why half-breeds were filthy, worthless creatures. Umbridge could not locate who had cast the spell; no one seemed very willing to give Fred up. Despite his allegiance with Dumbledore, he was too well liked by our classmates.

I'd had more inappropriate thoughts about George, and had even caught myself comparing him to Cedric one night as he was bent over one of his latest inventions, a Self-Writing quill, displaying some seriously advanced bits of magic that had impressed me to no end. Cedric had been like that, he would always give all of his attention to the task at hand, and he never started anything without finishing it. I found that I was becoming used to the feeling of guilt. It was a constant presence that had attached itself to the pit of my stomach, squeezing tightly whenever my eyes lingered on George for too long.

By now, the twins had finalized their Skiving Snack boxes, due in large part to my participation. I'd been testing Fever Fudge, Canary Creams, and my least favorite, the Puking Pastille, all to spectacular effect. Fred and George already had thirty orders, and that was only from those of their own house. They were planning on doing more marketing during the Hogsmeade trip.

"Are you going into Hogsmeade Noel?" I asked her kindly as she sat at her desk braiding her hair into an intricate updo .

She briefly spared me a glance. "Yes, I've got a date with Charles Goldstein."

Grace harrumphed from the bathroom, but we both ignored her. "Wow, the Head Boy. I hope it goes all right." My voice was slightly strained at the small talk.

"Oh I'm sure we won't be doing a whole lot of talking," she said with a roll of her eyes. "All Hogwarts boys are the same: they want snogging, sex, and for us to keep our mouths firmly shut while they talk about quidditch."

Thinking of the various boys she had been with throughout the years in my head, I was mainly inclined to agree. "Not _all _boys though," I murmured defensively, my thoughts straying to both Cedric and George. The guilt-ridden pit in my stomach contracted painfully.

I was distracted by Grace's cackling, and I pointedly used my wand to slam the door to the loo shut. Noel smirked approvingly.

"What are you going to do?" she asked out of politeness, not sounding the least bit interested.

My hands twisted in my lap nervously. "Oh just, erm, going to the Three Broomsticks with Lee and the twins."

She nodded vaguely and began applying mascara. I glanced at the clock and realized that I needed to go. I'd promised the twins I'd meet them in the Entrance Hall at 10:45. I had to admit I was excited. I'd never gone to Hogsmeade with anyone before. I usually just spent my time in the book shop, avoiding catching anyone's eye, or else I remained in the castle to do schoolwork.

Without another word to either of my roommates, I set off down the long tunnel that opened into our common room. It was empty save for a few depressed-looking first and second years. I felt a pang of sadness for them. I remembered what it was like, watching jealously as all the older students left, returning with their bags stuffed full of sugar quills, Fanged Frisbees, and brand new books and clothing.

"There's our girl!" George cried enthusiastically as he saw me weaving my way through the crowd.

I stopped just short of them, trying not to notice how George was wearing a green jumper that was similar to one of Cedric's. "Shall we go then?"

"We shall," Fred said gallantly, holding out his arm. I took it with a roll of my eyes, channeling Noel's spirit, and the four of us headed out the doors. As Filch examined our permission slips, my breath caught slightly as it always did. I'd been forging all of my parent signatures since first year, and though I knew the caretaker couldn't tell, I still always felt a bit sick.

Thankfully, he was distracted by a group of second years trying to sneak past, and I was dragged down the path. We all squeezed into a carriage, slamming the door behind us as a particularly strong gust of wind blew past, nearly blowing off Lee's hat.

"So, Noel's staying in the castle, is she?" Lee asked entirely too casually.

I bit my lip. "No, she actually, well, she has a date," I said apologetically.

"With who?" Fred asked in interest, and George elbowed him.

"Charles Goldstein." I spoke the name quickly, as though that would lessen the blow. Lee seemed to be extremely taken with my hostile beauty queen of a roommate.

He nodded nonchalantly, but I saw his fingers tighten into fists. Thankfully, the carriage rolled to a stop, signaling our arrival and the end of the conversation. George hopped out immediately, followed quickly by Fred and Lee. With a charming grin, George held out his hand to me.

Nervously, I slid my hand into his, although I did not have the chance to descend gracefully like the others, suddenly finding myself on the ground.

"You are such a wanker," I spoke through gritted teeth while he and Lee howled with laughter. I ignored Fred's hand that had been offered, not unlike his brother's, and returned to a standing position on my own.

George slung an arm around me. "Terribly sorry Prudence, couldn't resist."

"Sod off," I said as I squirmed out from underneath him. "Where to first?"

They all shrugged. "Zonko's?" Lee suggested.

I didn't much like the look that Fred and George exchanged.

Turns out the twins and Lee were on a first name basis with the owner of the joke shop. They got discounts on nearly everything, and were even allowed into the back room, which was where they headed for immediately after entering. After they had been in there for nearly half an hour, I decided to look for a place to sit. Admittedly I wasn't too interested in dung bombs or Fizzing Whizbees, and the thrill of shopping in a new place had long since worn off.

A clown head popped off the wall at me was I walked past, and with a scream I backed into a shelf filled with confetti canons, accidentally setting one off. Four bodies sprinted out into the main room, and they all came to an abrupt stop as confetti rained down on them like a parade. Though the twins and Lee were laughing, the owner was certainly not as he shoved us all unceremoniously out the door.

The three of them poked fun at me for a good five minutes before the chill from the air forced us all down the street.

"So, where is this meeting?" I asked anxiously as the wind whipped through my hair.

"The Hog's Head," Fred responded promptly, swinging his bag full of future detentions.

My throat tightened. "Right. Makes sense."

Lee nudged me. "You've never been in there? It's wicked! The barkeep will serve you firewhiskey if you pay him enough."

"Because who doesn't want to illegally drink at eleven in the morning?" I muttered sarcastically.

George slung an arm around me; this seemed to be becoming a habit. "Don't knock it until you try it, eh?"

I shrugged out from under him as quickly as possible under the pretense of having to re-lace my boot. I was then urged to walk faster, as it was very nearly noon, and with a sigh I followed them into the dusty looking bar, looking regrettably at the Three Broomsticks as I did so.

I was surprised at the amount of students who were in the room. Seated around a large table were all the Gryffindors in Harry's year minus Seamus Finnegan; the Gryffindor quidditch team; most of the 5th year Hufflepuffs; a handful of Ravenclaws –

My breath caught in my throat as I gripped George's wrist painfully. "You didn't tell me she'd be here," I whispered, staring at Cho Chang and feeling quite sick. Did she believe what Harry said about Cedric?

Fred was gathering money for butterbeers. Lee was joking with Alicia Spinnet. Luna Lovegood was wandering around with a dazed expression. George was looking at me concernedly. "I didn't know Prudence, honestly."

I glanced towards the entrance as Anthony Goldstein walked in. I took a step backwards.

"Please, stay," George said, noticing my retreat. I eyed the room warily, my mind racing. If Cho was here, surely it was all right if I was? Cedric wouldn't be disappointed in me, right? The least I could do was hear Harry out. And he did know his defensive spells…

With a quick nod, I took my seat beside him at the back of the group, all of whom were looking at Harry expectantly. Unfortunately for them, Hermione was the first to speak. I didn't take in much of what she said. My palms were sweating as I watched Cho, her face rapt with attention. The fact that she seemed to be faring better than me forced me to tune in as Harry stood up.

Someone asked if he'd really seen You-Know-Who in the graveyard. I could hear my pulse in my ears. I wondered if everyone else could hear my breathing, it was so loud. Bile rose in my throat.

"Look, if you're only here to ask about what happened that night, you can just clear off!" Harry said roughly. No one moved.

George glanced down at me, but I refused to look up at him. Suddenly, Zacharias Smith interrupted, claiming that Harry was trying to talk his way out of showing us his defense skills. Harry flushed.

"That's not what he said," Cho spoke quietly. So she did believe him. That Cedric had been murdered by You Know Who.

George withdrew a lethal looking metal object from his Zonko's bag. "Would you like us to clean your ears out for you?"

"Or anything really, we're not fussy where we stick it," Fred added.

Then Ginny did such a good impression of Umbridge that it startled us back to the point. A name was created. Dumbledore's Army. Hermione procured a sheet of parchment. Fred and George signed first.

Cho got up to write her name, a look of fierceness spread across her face, and I knew I had to get out of there. Without so much as a backward glance, I brushed past Parvati Patil and burst out onto the sidewalk. Cedric's voice rang in my ears as I stumbled my way into a secondhand book shop.

The shopkeeper looked relatively alarmed as I ran in, slamming the door behind me. I shot her a quick apology and then maneuvered through the cramped aisles to the very back corner. I leaned against the shelves and tried to catch my breath, which had escaped me.

What was I thinking? I couldn't be a part of some resistance movement against the Ministry, I was a prefect! I could get suspended, expelled even! I would never get into healing school, I could never go home, I'd have to live on the streets and –

"Prudence?"

I turned around, expecting to see George, but instead found myself looking into the face of Noel, her ruby red lips pursed in confusion. "Oh, hey, where's Charles?"

She rolled her eyes. "Jennifer needed him for some 'emergency Head duties…' More like _head _duties if you know what I mean." I smiled in spite of myself. "Anyway, I saw you rush in here, you looked awful."

"Gee, thanks," I mumbled, wiping the perspiration off of my upper lip.

Noel trailed her golden fingernail along the book spines, leaving a trail of dust. "So what were you doing that got you all worked up?"

I ignored her suspicious look. "Nothing, the twins were just drawing a lot of attention to themselves, and as everyone was staring, I decided to head off on my own. Don't much like strangers watching me."

"Was Lee with them?" she inquired.

"Erm, yes," I spoke slowly. Perhaps Lee's pick-up lines were paying off.

She rolled back her shoulders, adjusted her cleavage, tossed back her hair, and then strutted towards the door. "Right then. I'm going back up to the castle, are you coming?"

With one last glance towards the Hog's Head, I wrapped my jacket more tightly around myself and followed her up the street.

I successfully avoided George for the rest of the weekend, eating my meals in the kitchens and stealing away to the library in the early hours of the morning. I knew, however, that I couldn't avoid him any longer, as I would be seeing him in Umbridge's class. With a sigh, I reluctantly followed a questionably nice-looking Noel to the Gryffindor Table.

"Morning," Noel said perkily, settling so closely next to Lee that he dropped his spoon onto the floor in shock.

Fred raised a brow. "Good morning to you too Sunshine."

George gently placed down a piece of parchment in front of me.

"Educational Decree number 24?" I murmured, scanning it. "All organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs are hereby disbanded-"

My eyes shot up to where Umbridge was seated at the staff table, pouring sugar into her tea and looking smugly out into the sea of students.

Noel became outraged. "What? What does that mean for quidditch then? Hufflepuff's got a shot at not coming in last this year!"

"I don't think you need to worry about your house," George said, an ugly look on his face. "She's re-signed all the teams except for Gryffindor."

I glanced down to where Angelina Johnson was speaking to Harry, looking furious. "Do you think she suspects…anything?"

"Like what?" Noel snorted. "She's probably just trying to get more control of the school, undermine Dumbledore."

But there was something about Umbridge's smile that didn't feel right to me. She knew about the meeting yesterday, which told me that I'd made a good decision in not signing that parchment.

My techniques at avoiding Fred and George's questions were growing more impressive by the minute. They'd nearly cornered me after Transfiguration, but I magicked their shoes into cinder blocks and sprinted to the library. I didn't much like confrontation, and I knew that if they got me alone they would wonder why I'd run out of the meeting, and why I was acting like I was having a constant anxiety attack.

And if I told them why I was avoiding them, I would probably start crying because I was thinking about Cedric in that maze. No one besides Harry Potter and perhaps You-Know-Who knew the details of what had happened. For all I knew he had simply turned a corner and then there was a flash of green light… Or maybe it had been long and painful, torture at the hand of Krum, or someone else who had been prowling the maze, waiting for a competitor to wander into their midst.

I swiped at a tear in frustration and tried to focus on my work. Was this real, or not real? Yes Cedric was gone but I was going crazy trying to figure out how. I just needed more time, which the twins didn't seem inclined to give me. I didn't want to lose the few friends that I had somehow acquired this year, but I couldn't just disobey the new Educational Decree. The both of them had been breaking rules since first year, all their lives probably! They'd most likely done so many illegal things that there was no _question_ they would join Dumbledore's Army.

Me, I'd always been too fearful of authority figures to so much as keep a library book late. I blamed my father for this. The only times I'd ever broken any rule was this year, with Fred and George. Maybe they were a bad influence. Perhaps I had picked the wrong friends.

But my mother had been a Gryffindor, like them. Would she have been their friend? Would she have joined? But she had fought the Death Eaters and lost. She knew she was putting her life in danger when she joined the ranks of the aurors, and she was proud to be protecting the wizarding world. Could I follow in her footsteps?

I didn't know. And seeing as my mum was the way she was, maybe I would never know. Just like I might never know what happened to Cedric that night.

A week and a half later, the twins had finally stopped asking me questions. The D.A. was supposed to have their first practice tomorrow night. I supposed they'd realized I wasn't joining. I could tell George was disappointed. He hadn't put his arm around me since Hogsmeade, or even really spoken to me other than the occasional comment about Umbridge's fat head. It did bother me, but what was I supposed to do? Risk my expulsion and entire future, when I wasn't even really sure what we were fighting for? Why was everyone so eager to claim he had returned? The thought made my stomach churn and my skin grow cold.

Reluctantly, I headed out of the library to meet Martin for rounds. Tonight we were patrolling the sixth and seventh floors, near Gryffindor Tower, and I had never wanted to perform my prefect duties less. Without a word, the pair of us set off up the staircase. He had long since given up on getting my forgiveness, instead resigning himself to an hour of silence.

Grace was still trying to gain Martin's affections, and I was more than certain that this was one of the main attributing factors to Noel's sudden interest in Lee Jordan. Today she'd nearly given him a coronary bending down to pick up a quill she had dropped. I sighed as the hour ticked slowly past.

Nothing of interest had happened so far. No couples in broom closets, no students wandering the corridors after hours, not even Peeves setting traps for unsuspecting teachers. Finally, at 10:15, we set off in separate directions to check the various loos along the sixth floor to signify the end of our duties. As Martin disappeared around the corner, a figure burst out from behind a tapestry.

Stifling a shriek, I backed into the wall, a hand over my heart. "George! What the hell are you doing? You just scared me half to death!"

"Only half? Perhaps I should do it again?" he inquired innocently, and I abruptly turned on my heel and continued on my path.

"Wait!" he called after me, and against my will my feet stopped.

I faced him, my arms crossed. "What do you want? In case you haven't noticed, it's after hours and Martin will be back any moment."

His countenance of innocence morphed into one of curiosity. "I would like to know whether or not you're coming to the practice tomorrow."

I shifted my weight nervously, avoiding his eyes. "No."

"Why not?" he cried, and I shushed him hurriedly.

My eyes narrowed. "You know what Weasley? You need to look at it from my perspective. Not everyone knows Harry Potter personally. Of course Dumbledore trusts him, and that should be good enough for me, but do you realize what it looked like to see a virtual stranger fall out of that maze clutching Cedric's – clutching him?"

His expression changed slightly, becoming more cautious. He tried to speak but I cut him off.

"Do you know how it felt to be sitting in the stands, surrounded by a sea of people and holding onto my Diggory pin, only to hear someone scream, and look at him on the ground, not moving? Only to stare down at his dead body? I couldn't do anything, George! I just sat there while everyone yelled and cried all around me."

George took a step towards me but I continued stepping backwards. "Prudence," he started, but once again my words beat his.

"All I knew that night was that I was never going to speak to him again, and I didn't know why," I said, my voice catching. "And I just don't know if _this," _I thrust my scarred fist into his face," is worth risking my entire education over George. If I get expelled from school, do you know what I would be going back to? A life tarnished by dark magic!" I hissed, my chest heaving.

Realizing I'd said too much, I brushed past his shocked face as quickly as possible, intent on finding Martin so we could officially end our rounds. Even his company would be better than George's at the moment.

When I got back to the dormitory that night, it was empty. Grace had been holding court in the common room, preening under the attention of the pre-pubescent boys, but Noel was absent. I frowned; she was typically here going through her nightly beauty routine. With a shrug, I embraced the solitude and stepped out of my clothes, padding into the bathroom to shower. For some reason, I kept picturing George's face, but it always morphed into Cedric smiling down at me as we walked the corridors together. After a certain point I couldn't tell what was tears and what was just bath water.

When my fingers turned pruny and my skin scalded red, I finally emerged and wrapped a towel around myself. I opened my trunk with the intent on finding my warmest set of pajamas so I could collapse into bed and forget this day ever happened, only to see a yellowed, wrinkled newspaper clipping atop my belongings. Frowning, I settled onto my bed and began to read.

It was dated from last August, on the twenty-third. A Muggle named Frank Bryson was discovered dead in a house in a place called Little Hangleton. Coroners reported his death as simply old age, but from the description, it sounded awfully familiar to all the killings that had taken place throughout the past few months.

Quickly, I dragged out my parchment with the other clippings glued on it and pasted it just above the articles about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, pointedly not looking at the photo of Cedric's face. It fit perfectly in the pattern. This couldn't be a coincidence. So did this mean…that this was the Death Eaters? _Before _school had started last year? They had been active this entire time. Cedric hadn't been the first.

Breathing very heavily, I threw the parchment back into my trunk and slammed it shut, digging out pajamas from the dirty clothing hamper. I didn't want to look at the articles anymore.

I dressed quickly and got into bed, but I stared up at the canopy for hours. This was the work of Death Eaters; the unexplainable killings that took place in rooms locked from the inside out, no traces of any violence on their bodies, no drugs in their systems. I'd bet all my money on the Killing Curse, and no one used that spell except for the followers of You Know Who.

My fingers found the necklace before my mind could process it. Next to a faded silver locket laid a beautiful charm in the shape of a book, Cedric's first and final gift to me. Without looking down, I released the catch and the locket sprung open, revealing the happy, smiling face of my mother.

"Is it happening again Mum? What do I do?" I whispered to myself, finding little comfort in the icy metal.

Forcing my eyes to close, I turned onto my side and counted up until 2,349, when I finally drifted off. I awoke very early the next morning drenched in sweat, gasping for air. All I'd seen last night were images of black robed, silver masked wizards. Dark Marks were in the sky, the green faces horribly grotesque as they grinned down at me.

The scenes changed every so often; Harry Potter bursting out of the maze holding onto Cedric's cold, lifeless body. Cedric wandering the maze alone, his face terrified, turning a corner and walking straight into a beam of green light, even though I was screaming for him to turn back, to come back to me.

I hadn't had nightmares like that since last term had ended. I'd barely slept the entire first month of summer break, and I'd only just stopped having the dreams a few weeks ago.

I dressed in the dark, walking into the bathroom to scrub the grime off my face and brush the bad taste out of my mouth. I used my wand to conceal the circles beneath my hazel eyes, and pinned my hair up into a professional looking bun, the way my mother had taught me when I was thirteen. It was one of the few times I could remember her being lucid, and the familiar action calmed me as I smoothed back the loose strands.

As I was packing my satchel for class, I stood up suddenly, an idea having struck. In order to confirm You-Know-Who's return, I needed to find out what happened during his first reign of terror, in the seventies and eighties. If what was happening now had happened last time, then I could know for sure. But would the library have information on it? It might be in the Restricted Section.

With a sudden vigor in my movements, I crammed my feet into my socks and shoes and sprinted out of the dormitory and through the common room.

"Where's the fire?" Patrick called from his seat on the chair nearest the fire. He was cramming for today's Charms exam, but my mind was focused on anything but. Slowing down in the halls only slightly to avoid getting admonished, I reached the library just as Madame Pince was opening it.

Nervously, I appraised her scowling face. I didn't even know if this would work; she was known for being particularly unhelpful to students. "Madame Pince? I was, I was just wondering if you could help me find, erm, information on something?"

"What is it?" she snapped impatiently. There was a mothball stuck to her skirt.

"I wanted to know if the library had any books about You-Know-Who," I inquired carefully.

Immediately her expression turned to one of shock. "And why would you need this information?"

"It's just that I'm er, not doing so well in History of Magic," I made up wildly, hoping she couldn't see how nervous I was. "Professor Binns told me that I could do an extra credit project on the seventies and eighties, and I've got most of the regular books on that, but since You-Know-Who was such a big part of that time period, I figured I ought to include him in my report. To be thorough."

I bit my lip anxiously as she examined me. My lies almost never worked, but after all the hours I had spent with the Weasley twins, I hoped some of their quick wits had rubbed off on me. "Aisle 34, section nine," she said crisply, then trailed off towards the Potions section with her feather duster.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked as quickly across the cavernous room as I dared. Truth be told, the librarian terrified me to no end. Then again, so did a lot of things.

I reached the aisle and immediately started to cough, accidentally having sucked in mounds of filth. I forced myself to be quiet, eyes watering. Once my lungs got used to the copious amounts of dust that had overtaken the books in this section, I used my wand to siphon the grime off of the spines so I could read them.

I picked up one that bore the title, 'A Time of Terror' and flipped through it, jerking my head back as more dust came flying out at me. I came to a stop at page 176, a chapter labeled 'Notable Muggle Deaths.' There were reports of many Ministry workers, and it included an attempt made on the Prime Minister of the time that failed only because aurors had arrived on the scene. There were two famous movie stars, and even a singer mentioned, and all were given the same report by the Muggle authorities: inconclusive. They'd all been killed in rooms locked from the inside out, and bore no signs of a struggle.

I slammed the volume closed, my heart pounding.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Madame Pince shrieked as she poked her head around the corner. "Be careful with those books! They're very delicate!"

I hastily put it back where I had pulled it from. "I'm so sorry Madame Pince, I'll just, I'll just be going now."

I scurried past her unfriendly face and didn't stop moving until I came to the Entrance Hall, where I blended in with the crowd of students heading in for breakfast. I lowered myself onto the bench at the Gryffindor table across from Lee, staring off into space.

"Earth to Prudence, come in Prudence!" Fred called, waving a hand in front of my face.

George peered at me closely. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I whipped around to face him so suddenly that he jerked back and caused Neville Longbottom to dribble porridge down his front.

"Sorry about that mate," he said gravely, using his wand to clean up the mess.

I grabbed his robes and forced him to look at me. "Where is the meeting?"

"Why?" he asked, looking alarmed as he tried to pry my fingers from him. "Are you going to tell Umbridge?"

Lee and Fred stared at me with their mouths open.

"No." I relinquished my grip on him and sat back. "I'm going to come."

I ignored their looks of astonishment as I began to pour myself a cup of tea, greeting Noel who had just walked in.

"Why is everyone staring at Prudence?" she asked as she sat down and stole Lee's toast out of his hand.

He snapped back to attention. "Oi!"

She flipped her hair behind her shoulders. "Calm down," she said in a bored tone, taking a bite and handing it back to him.

Lee looked like he'd just won the lottery.

"Prudence has gone barmy," Fred stated.

"She hasn't already?" Noel joked, helping herself to some eggs.

I was too busy trying to slow my racing thoughts to counter her remark, and instead found my gaze directed at Umbridge. You-Know-Who was back, he had murdered Cedric, and here she was trying to pretend that all was well. I was going to this meeting, I was going to learn my defensive spells, I was going to graduate from Hogwarts with an Outstanding Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWT, and most importantly, I was going to make my mother proud.

* * *

**A/N: So...this was chapter 6! Please let me know what you think with a review. Is this story plausible? Is Prudence relateable? Is Noel a bitch or a genius? And does anyone else hate Grace or is that just me?**


	7. He's Back

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

I pointedly placed myself in between Noel and Fred as I settled into my seat in Flitwick's classroom. George looked at me for a moment before redirecting his attention to jinxing Kenneth Towler's bag to bite at his ankles.

"Brrr…" Noel said, raising a brow to me. "What's up with you, Ice Princess?"

I shrugged and didn't bother responding, instead opting to watch the other students trickle in. Grace of course came in on the arm of Martin, with Patrick and Terrence dragging behind, half asleep. Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson wandered over and took a seat in front of our desk.

"Oi, Weasley," Angelina whispered.

"Yeeeees?" both Fred and George responded at the same time.

She rolled her eyes. "I've got Umbridge to re-sign the team!"

There was a smattering of cheering, which was quickly hushed by her death glare. "If either of you step one toe out of line today, I will personally take those beaters bats and place them somewhere unpleasant."

George grimaced. "But we haven't even got Umbridge today."

Angelina merely stared at the doorway, where our pink, polished professor strutted in behind Flitwick.

"She's inspecting?" I hissed to Noel, who glared and stabbed at the desk with her quill.

Angelina shot the twins one last look of warning and turned to face the front. Our esteemed High Inquisitor settled herself in the last row as the lecture began, and every few seconds her pink, fluffy quill could be heard scratching away. I refrained from drawing like I typically did, instead forcing myself to pretend this was all extremely fascinating for the sake of Flitwick, although it was hard to ignore her occasional giggles and 'hem hems.' Flitwick being Flitwick treated her like she was a guest; I half expected him to offer her refreshments.

"Okay class, now is the time to put that theory to good use! Remember, the incantation is 'Deletrius' and your target is the wooden logs that will be placed in front of you shortly. Good luck!"

A stack of wood deposited itself between the aisles, one log floating to rest neatly between Noel and I. Umbridge had now wandered over to Grace, Martin, Terrence, and Patrick, who were seated up front, and was nodding vigorously as Patrick spoke.

"…really good professor, I'm just not always certain that I quite grasp everything by the time class is over," he was saying.

A flicker of a smirk crossed her face. "Yes, go on Mr. Abney."

"Speaking as a future Department of Magical Sports and Games hopeful, I would have to say that I'm not fully confident that Flitwick will get me there. Not enough guidance, you know."

Noel sneered. "That filthy little prick! Can't believe I ever dated him…oh I could just kill him."

"Whoa, hey, don't do that," Lee spoke hastily as he forced her wand out of her grasp, as it had been pointed straight at Patrick's head.

Umbridge gave a little hum of contentment and looked around the room for her next victim, her brown eyes falling on me unnervingly. "Miss Turner! Perhaps I could ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, Professor." My smile was tight. I could feel the scars on the back of my left hand tingling.

I ignored Fred, who was in the process of stamping my foot off as she began to speak. "Now, would you say that you have progressed enough under Professor Flitwick's supervision?"

I stared at her distastefully. "If you would consider getting an Outstanding on every Charms exam I've ever had, including my OWL, progress, then yes."

George snorted and turned it into a cough. Fred's foot pressed down even harder.

"If you could just show me some examples of the useful things that Professor Flitwick has taught you so far this term?" Umbridge turned her round, pasty face to the log in front of me.

I withdrew my wand from the pocket of my robes. First, the log burst into a spectacular purple flame. Then, it shot up into the air, went twice around the room, and hovered above my head for a moment. Next, it tap danced over to Umbridge and performed an Irish jig. I then returned it to its original position, looked her straight in the eye, and blew it to pieces, which bounced harmlessly off of my shield charm.

I returned my wand to my pocket and folded my hands neatly onto the debris that had scattered across the desk.

"Phwoar," Lee muttered from Noel's other side as Umbridge took out her quill.

"Student…displays…aggression…with…charms." She tucked her clipboard under her arm. "Thank you Miss Turner."

Blinking, my jaw dropped, I watched as she thanked Flitwick, turned on her heel, and clacked happily from the room.

"Ten points to Hufflepuff, I think!" Flitwick squeaked anxiously from his place at the front of the room, and I managed a tiny smile before taking out a bit of parchment and drawing Umbridge being chopped into tiny bits by all the Hogwarts professors. I even used color ink for the blood.

* * *

Four hours later I was working furiously in the library. Ignoring my Defense Against the Dark Arts reading assignment, I had checked out several books from aisle 34 and was now pouring over the texts, frantically writing down anything I deemed important.

"Why are you researching Voldemort?" Noel asked loudly, and everyone in the room gasped collectively.

My cheeks burned as I tucked the book away from view. "Noel! If you're going to use his name, at least speak it quietly, this is the library!" I hissed. "And…I was just…curious, is all. No one ever talks about it."

"I think the Weasley twins got to you," she said bluntly, casually scrawling down a sentence for her Arithmancy essay.

Baffled, I set my quill down. "What do you mean, 'got' to me?"

Noel tossed back her mane of hair. I swear it glinted in the sunlight. I even caught a waft of strawberry. "Well, last term you would never speak, I mean, not even a word. Your nose was always stuck in a book, and everyone thought that you thought you were too good to talk to us. The only person you made any sort of contact with was Cedric. You never asserted any authority, never spoke back to any professors, never drew any attention to yourself."

"And?" I raised a brow, my ears burning.

"Now, you've attached yourself to the two loudest, most attention seeking students in the castle, you've gotten detention, you hardly ever read for pleasure , this weird Voldemort research being the exception, you have now docked a total of fifty points collectively from students, and have at least seven rumors circulating about you," Noel rattled off, completely unfazed by all the looks she was getting.

I looked around for Madame Pince before answering. "I only started speaking with Fred and George because I was helping them with Herbology, I only ever read that much because I didn't have any friends, and I'm trying to keep the school in top condition so Umbridge has nothing to scribble on her little clipboard."

She eyed me, her expression even. I expected her to make a comment about my lack of friends, or acknowledge her treatment of me in years past. "Herbology. Right."

"Erm…right?" Now I was just confused.

Noel paused a moment as the librarian poked her head out from behind the shelf of books she was dusting. She leaned in closer. "I know that's not what you're doing up there. The Weasley twins have never given a damn about their grades, why would they start now? And you not only hate Herbology, you're ruddy terrible at it. Like, uncommonly bad, considering your house placement.

My palms began to sweat. "Think what you want, but haven't you noticed a difference in them this year? They're less concerned with pranking and are much more focused on the important things. And I do not hate Herbology! I just hate dirt. And things that bite."

With that, I swept the books into my satchel, swung it onto my shoulder, and walked out of the library. It was nearly time for the DA meeting, and I had promised Fred, George, and Lee that I would meet them by their common room, as I had no idea where I was supposed to go.

As I was rounding the corner on the fourth floor, I walked straight into Jennifer Mickelson, the Head Girl.

"Prudence Turner! Just the girl I was looking for!" she spoke in her perky, nasally voice.

I blinked. Her large, green eyes were staring at me with a slight ferocity. "Erm, hi."

She grabbed my elbow and pulled me along in the opposite direction of where I was heading. "Look, Martin can't patrol with you on Saturday, he's got a homework conflict, so you'll have to patrol with Kenneth Towler instead. Okay? Great!"

And then she was gone, walking down the corridor with an uncommonly quick pace. Right, a homework conflict. More like a 'I have to get wasted like a pathetic woman having a mid-life crisis conflict.' With a sigh, I turned around and continued on my path to the seventh floor. The twins would absolutely tear the mickey out of me for this.

"Someone looks down in the dumps," Fred observed when I reached them, huffing slightly from the climb.

"Guess who's got to patrol with Kenneth on Saturday night?" I rolled my eyes as all three of them burst into laughter, Lee pounding the wall with his fists. "Anyway, where are we going?"

George shrugged and began to head down the corridor. "Apparently it's a place called the Room of Requirement. It's down the hall, across from the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy."

My brow wrinkled. "The Room of Requirement? I've never heard of it. It's not in Hogwarts, a History."

The twins exchanged a gleeful look. "Look at this one!" Fred laughed, elbowing me.

"I've never heard of it, it's not in Hogwarts, a History," George mocked in a high-pitched tone, doing a bit of twirling.

Lee turned to me. "Are you a Muggle-born?"

"No…why?" Even the twins were giving him strange looks, having stopped their imitation of me.

He shrugged. "Just wondering. Hermione Granger's read that book probably a dozen times, she's always reciting anecdotes to Harry and Ron, reckon it's more of a read for those who don't grow up in the magical world."

"Oh." I was relieved he hadn't gone any further into the whole Muggle-born thing. Lee wasn't known for having tact when he spoke. "Well, perhaps you're right. I didn't grow up in the magical world so I suppose I was rather curious."

Fred slowed his pace so he could walk beside me. "But you just said you're not a Muggle-born!"

"I'm not," I replied, staring straight ahead.

"So…are you half?" George inquired. I nodded. "Your mum or your dad?"

"What's with the twenty questions?" I asked brusquely, and both twins chuckled as they raised their hands in defense.

George nudged me. "Sorry Miss Touchy, I sincerely apologize for trying to learn more about you."

"Well you don't see me sticking my nose in your business asking you all about your life," I responded evenly.

"To be fair, I think everyone gets the gist. There are a load of us, we all have red hair, we're blood traitors, and Forge and I are the only fun ones! Well, actually, Charlie can be a bit of a laugh when he's not covered in dragon dung." Fred stroked his chin in thought as George nodded in agreement.

We came to a stop as we reached a part of the castle that looked vaguely familiar. The hallway was lengthy, had a cavernous ceiling, and was barren of any statues or portraits minus one of a wizard trying to teach several trolls to dance ballet. "What now?"

"Now, my dear Prudence," Fred began gallantly, "you wait for the magic to happen."

I stepped back and watched as he began to pace back and forth, his eyes screwed up tightly. After he had walked the stretch of hallway three times, a large, mahogany door began to appear, right out of the wall.

Lee whistled. I blinked.

"After you," George said, holding it open for us. Almost timidly, I entered behind Fred and Lee, not knowing what to expect.

From behind their shoulders, I saw a gargantuan room covered in cushions, with shelves upon shelves of books and defensive items. Students were milling about, joking and laughing with one another. The twins and Lee were now deep in conversation about the upcoming Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Cho Chang and her friend Marietta were standing off to the side, shooting furtive looks at everyone else.

"Oi, what's she doing here?" Ron asked in a loud whisper, pointing at me.

Hermione shot me an apologetic look. "Ronald!"

He looked unashamed. "Well Fred and George said she wasn't coming. Cedric and all that."

"Ron! Please try and have tact, she was friends with him!" Hermione admonished again, but I tuned out the rest of their argument as quickly as possible, instead wandering over to the books for a closer examination. I opened up the thickest volume on the shelf, looking down at a very detailed description of how to cast a Corporeal Patronus.

I'd always wondered what mine would be. It was something Cedric and I had discussed in depth. We'd planned on learning how to do it together, after our prefect rounds, but then the Tri-Wizard Tournament had come to Hogwarts and we had completely lost focus. He reckoned his would be a badger, like Helga Hufflepuff. I said he'd be a tiger or bear or something fierce and loyal, like him. He told me mine would be a swan, or a dove, something innocent but smart. He always made me feel so good about myself. I never felt stupid or anything around him. He was just...kind.

"All right everyone, we're going to get started," Harry called out, clapping his hands together. Shutting the book, I turned to face him. George shot me a wink and I glared back. Was it necessary for him to tell everyone why I wasn't planning on coming to this meeting? I'd confided in him, and he'd gone and sounded the bloody alarm. The people in this room already thought I was crazy and strange, what must they think of me now?

Harry looked incredibly uncomfortable as everyone watched him eagerly. "Er, today we're going to be practicing how to disarm your opponent. So everybody pair up, and I'll go over the incantation with you."

I watched as the students began to seek each other out, all of them joining up with someone from their own house. The whole point of this was to stand together against the Ministry, but no one could even look past their robe colors.

Shyly, I walked over to a girl with long, blonde hair who was looking over the procession with a vague, dreamy expression on her face. "Luna?"

"Oh, hello Prudence!" she said happily. "There's a wrackspurt flying about near your head, you know. Might want to be careful."

My brows raised slightly before I masked my confusion. "Right, I'll do that. I was just wondering if you'd want to be partners?"

"Ooh yes, I'd quite like that. Nobody else seems to want me as theirs," she said matter-of-factly.

I shifted my weight between my feet. "I'm sure they just didn't notice you. You're standing all the way in the corner," I pointed out.

"All the better to see the wrackspurts." Her face was solemn, so I held in my laughter. However weird she may seem, she was very nice, and I wanted to be respectful. After all, she knew my name.

The two of us listened to Harry explain the incantation, which seemed simple enough. It was a relatively easy spell that most of the sixth and seventh years had already learned, but the tricky part was controlling where your opponent's wand would go. It would be useless if you couldn't catch it or move it out of their grasp.

"Would you like to go first?" I asked Luna, who nodded, the radishes hanging from her earlobes swaying slightly.

I walked backwards a few paces, holding my wand out in front of me.

Luna planted her right foot, her own wand aimed directly at me. "Expelliarmus!" she cried. Justin Finch-Fletchly cried out as his wand arced overhead, clattering to the floor. "Oh wow…"

"I think that was a little too much flourish," I said, holding in a giggle.

"I think you're right," she said sagely, nodding her head. "Would you like to have a go?"

I shrugged. "Sure." Concentrating hard on the U-shaped motion, I picture Luna's wand flying into my outstretched palm. "Expelliarmus!"

Like I knew it would, it soared out of her grasp, but I had to jog forward to catch it. It hadn't come far enough towards me.

"Nicely done, Prudence, isn't it?" Harry spoke as he headed towards us. I nodded. "Right, okay, so what you need to do is follow their wand with your own. If you don't keep your concentration, the spell will lose some of its power and you won't know where the wand is going to fall. Yeah?"

I nodded, gently tossing Luna's wand back to her. She held it out to let me know she was ready, and I took a deep breath. "Expelliarmus!"

The three of us watched hopefully as it stretched out in front of her, landing neatly in my waiting hand.

"Yes, well done Prudence!" Harry congratulated me. "Will you demonstrate for everyone?"

My mouth went a little dry as I glanced around at the large number of students. "Erm, okay..."

Harry called everyone to attention, and I nervously chewed my lip. "Right, so Prudence is going to show you lot the spell. I want you all to watch her form, because form's got a great deal with doing this correctly. Any volunteers to step in?"

"I'll do it." George moved forward with a smirk, his brown eyes dancing with amusement as he gestured for people to hold their applause. The anger in the pit of my stomach bubbled dangerously. He couldn't take anything seriously. I couldn't believe I'd trusted him the other night. I'd thought he was kind like Cedric. But he was cruel, and careless.

Harry stepped out of the way, standing with the throng of students watching us curiously. "When you're ready then."

Fred and Lee were whispering in the back. Luna gave me an encouraging smile. George grinned at me and gave a little wave. Putting as much force behind it as I could muster, I thrust my arm out. "Expelliarmus!"

As George's wand left his hand, he flew backwards, stumbling over his feet until he landed harshly on his back. Lee slipped Fred a galleon.

All the girls screamed in excitement, several of them running over.

"That was amazing! Can you do it again?" Ginny Weasley asked, looking over to where her brother was dusting himself off.

The boys had flocked around George to tell him he was a good sport for making it easy for me. "I think you should do it Ginny," I remarked, causing many of the girls to laugh.

I caught George's eye and raised a brow, to which he grinned and pretended to bow down to me.

"Right, so, with that in mind, I want everyone to partner back up and keep trying! Prudence and I will both be coming around to help," Harry said, and I smiled happily.

By the time the hour was up, six others, including Fred, George, and Ginny, had successfully disarmed their opponents and caught the wand. An additional four had disarmed their partners without controlling the wand's landing. Hermione had been the next person after me to perform the spell correctly, taking Ron's wand in a most spectacular fashion. The twins, upon learning that they could disarm one another, spent the rest of their time stealing Zacharias Smith's wand. Luna was making great progress, and I'd even helped Padma Patil with her wand motions. I felt happier than I had in a long time.

"Great work tonight everyone, fantastic job from all of you! Just keep practicing the spells, and you'll get it next time! Before you leave, everyone take a coin from this box. Hermione will be able to send a message to you with the time and date of the next meeting, so keep an eye out!" Everyone lined up by Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were handing out fake galleons.

George sidled over to me. "Were you trying to knock me on my arse?"

I took my coin from Harry with a grateful smile. "Were you trying to humiliate me when you told them I wasn't coming because of Cedric?"

"What? That's completely backward-"

I sighed, drilling a small hole into the top of the galleon, sliding it onto the chain around my neck, where it came to rest beside the locket and book charm. "George, the entire school already thinks I'm a psychotic freak who was obsessed with Cedric. I don't need you sticking your nose in my business pretending that you understand it, because honestly there's so much that you don't know and wouldn't get. I wasn't afraid to come because of what happened last term; I was afraid of losing my education and the only place that's ever been a home to me. There's a difference."

With a shrug, I pocketed my wand, waved goodbye to Fred and Lee, and headed back to the Hufflepuff common room. Upon entering, I spotted Martin, Patrick, and Terrence by the fire, the former scribbling frantically on a roll of parchment and the latter flexing his biceps for several fifth year girls. All three ignored me, just as it had been for the past six years, and I happily made my way down the tunnel to the girls' dormitories.

I walked along the path quickly, intent on showering and getting in a good four or five chapters from _Anna Karenina _before bed, when I heard the raised voices. Wincing slightly, I reluctantly opened the door and stepped into the room just in time to see an inkwell fly across the room and smash into the wall, splattering my bed and trunk with a black, sticky substance.

The two girls stopped what they were doing and turned to me, their chests heaving. "Oh look," Grace spoke breathlessly, her eyes alight with malice. "Flitwick's little _pet_ is here."

I took this in stride. "Yep, here she is." Noel snorted as I siphoned the ink off of my belongings.

"Grace here decided to try and bait me by telling me about the new interview that Umbridge has set up at the Ministry in the Department of Transportation. Claims that your little stunt would ensure you never getting any job in the wizarding world of any kind, so long as you stuck by Dumbledore, and reckons all Dumbledore supporters will end up cleaning toilets for a living," Noel summed up, her eyes still spitting fire at the blonde who was now filing her nails.

"This may come as a shock to you Grace, but Fudge and Umbridge have no say over any jobs outside of the Ministry. The Healing program at St. Mungo's takes no merit in a person's social or political standing; they only care about a student's grades and magical capabilities. And last I checked, I think I demonstrated quite a bit of my magical capabilities in Charms class today." With a brief look of annoyance, I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. They were both in bed by the time I exited, and I slid under my covers with a sigh. I couldn't believe the divide that the Ministry had placed at Hogwarts. I only hoped this was as bad as it would get.

* * *

Noel was waiting for me in the common room the next morning, immediately closing her Astronomy textbook when I appeared out of the tunnel. "Morning Prudence."

"Errrr….good morning," I said cautiously.

"So I'm going to be honest with you," she spoke abruptly, moving directly in front of me and staring me unnervingly in the eye. I shifted my weight. "I know you're not helping the Weasley twins with Herbology."

I took a step backwards. "Noel, we've already been over this-"

"I know a lot of things, Prudence. Despite the popular opinion, I'm not unintelligent. For instance, I know you're not close with your family because you've only gotten letters from home four times since you came to here, I know you've been in love with Cedric since third year, I know he bought you that charm round your neck, I know you're too shit at Herbology to be tutoring anyone, I know you have a crush on George Weasley, I know you think something bad happened to Cedric last spring, and I know you're doing something about it in secret," she rattled off, her brown eyes frenzied.

As she folded her arms across her chest, my jaw dropped. "Okay, we're going to be late for breakfast," was all I said, noticing the empty common room. I'd dawdled leaving the dormitory because I'd sat down with the intent of just finishing a paragraph of _Anna Karenina _and had instead finished the entire chapter.

"Then we'll stop off at the kitchens before class." Her tone indicated that we weren't going anywhere.

My stomach growled. "All right look, if you walk with me to the Great Hall, I'll tell you. But if I tell you, I want you to explain how you know about…about the Cedric stuff."

She eyed me for a moment, her ruby red lips glistening and her strawberry blonde hair gleaming in the natural lighting. "Deal."

"I'm not tutoring the Weasley twins in Herbology," I stated as calmly as possible as we clambered through the entrance tunnel. "I'm testing some of their joke products for them in exchange for galleons."

Noel gave me a rueful smile. "Prudence, I'm not going to answer your questions if you don't answer mine."

"But that's the truth of it! That's where I've been going most evenings, to Gryffindor Tower. I've tested Nosebleed Nougats, Fainting Fancies, Puking Pastilles, Fever Fudge, Tongue-Swelling Toffees, a Sleeping Solution, a Daydream Charm, even a Canary Cream." I was desperate for her to believe me, despite me only telling her the half of it.

She was quiet for a moment as we made our way across the Entrance Hall, her heels echoing. "But there's something else going on. You think Voldemort was behind Cedric's death."

The matter-of-fact manner with which she spoke about both You-Know-Who and Cedric made my stomach churn. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I'm working on it. And how do you know this?"

"You've been acting like even more of a freak than usual. I've caught you digging around in your trunk on several occasions, you've been going to the library morning, noon, and night, you sketch the maze in Charms class when you think no one's watching, and you constantly clutch at the book pendant." Once again, I was completely baffled by her perceptiveness.

As we walked into the Great Hall, I made to go sit by Lee and the twins, but she yanked me back. "Before you go over there, just tell me. Do you think Voldemort is back?"

Her brown eyes switched back and forth between my own hazel, her breathing slightly heavy. Her fingernails dug into my forearm as she squeezed, awaiting my answer. "Yes."

"I thought so," she said smugly as she released me. "That's why I put that news article in your trunk."

"That was you?" I stopped in my tracks, halfway between the Ravenclaw table and Gryffindor. "Why?"

She shrugged, brushing past me. "I was trying to find out whether or not you had any common sense. Guess you do."

"I don't have a crush on him!" I called after her, getting a few weird looks from the Gryffindors at the end of the table.

But with a flip of her hair, the conversation was over. In another instant she was settled beside Lee, digging into his potatoes with vigor. George looked up and waved me over, leaving me no choice but to follow Noel's path. I sat down heavily on the bench, paying no attention to the biscuits and jam that were placed in front of me, but instead thinking back to all the times I'd ever thought Noel Dalton to be stupid.

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**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! Up next: Noel answers Prudence's questions, a quidditch match, apologies, and of course, Umbridge acts like a troll. Stay tuned!**


	8. My Mother's Daughter

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

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The next evening I found myself reluctantly testing more of the twins' products. Despite my urge to stay as far away from George as possible, I needed the money, and I didn't want to break my promise to them. Not to mention the fact that I'd never really had anyone to keep promises to before. It was kind of nice. Better, at least, than sitting in my bed for three hours alone.

"So Prudence," Lee started off as he finished recording how long it took my skin to return to its normal color. "We've all been wondering for the past couple of days now what exactly made you change your mind."

Fred nudged me with his foot from his position on his bed. "Yeah, you were acting like a right crazy person! 'Where's the meeting?'" he mocked in a girlish imitation, grabbing at his pillow like I had grabbed at his brother.

I glanced at George, knowing he was expecting me to say something about Cedric. Instead, I replied, "I always thought I'd make a difference in the world once I became a healer. Then I decided that I didn't have to wait to do that."

"That was a bloody beauty pageant answer that was," Lee snorted, taking a hearty sip from his bottle of Firewhiskey. Out of the three of them, Lee drank the most, going through a case of it a week. If he drank like this all the time, he was going to need a liver replacement by the time he was thirty.

I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my satchel. "Well it's true. Look, I came back to my dorm the other night to find Grace and Noel fighting. Apparently Umbridge is setting up a lot of the Ministry-supporting seventh years with job interviews, and Grace was saying how Noel and I would never get hired solely because we support Dumbledore. It just makes me more determined to stick it to them all. I need to graduate with Outstandings in all my subjects, including Defense, which obviously I wouldn't if I was just taking her class. This is the best option."

"So do you believe Harry now?" Fred yawned and stretched his arms lazily behind his head.

I was reminded of Noel's claws digging into my skin at breakfast yesterday morning. "Yes."

The three of them nodded like I hadn't just made a life-altering decision, and with a roll of my eyes I said good night. I wondered if they would even flinch if they came across a group of Death Eaters, or if they would just try and sell them some Puking Pastilles.

"Wait! Before you go," George called after me, rustling around in one of the various boxes surrounding his desk. "Take this. It's the first official Skiving Snackbox. You can have it free of charge, for all the work you've done for us, go on, take it."

I knew this was his way of apologizing, to try and make up for overstepping his boundaries. I accepted the box but turned away, sweeping out of the room without another word. He wasn't going to get forgiveness until I heard the words 'I'm' and 'sorry' come out of his mouth.

"Noel, you look fine, now come on! I've got Potions first thing and I can't be late! Not if I don't want a detention from Snape!"

The strawberry blonde shook her head defiantly, remaining firmly seated on her bed. "I can't go out there like this, I just can't! No one here even knows I own glasses," she spoke, her mouth puckered like she'd eaten something sour.

Exasperated, I rounded on her. "You are Noel Dalton. You've got the boys of Hogwarts swooning at your feet. No one would even say anything about it, because you'd hex them into oblivion. Besides, they look good!"

She glanced up at me uncertainly, then towards the clock. "Oh all right. But only because I've got an Arithmancy exam today."

I'd been woken up at six o'clock this morning by Noel cursing in the bathroom. She'd run out of contacts and couldn't find her spare box, and had now resorted to wearing her old glasses, which, like the rest of her, were actually quite stylish. However Grace had taken one look at Noel and laughed in her face, which resulted in Noel sulking in front of her mirror for an hour.

As we crossed the common room, Noel glared pointedly at a group of fifth years who stared at her, and they all immediately buried their noses into books. "Hmph."

I'd wondered on several occasions what it must be like to be Noel. She always looked like a model about to walk the runway, even in a uniform, and could get any boy she wanted with a flutter of her lashes. Not to mention she could make a student cry with a simple look, and weasel extensions out of professors with one simpering smile.

As we reached the doors to the Great Hall, she flicked back her hair, adjusted her cleavage, rubbed her lips together, and shoved them open. I followed her down the aisle in bemusement as she strutted towards Lee, her heels clacking powerfully against the stone flooring. Several Ravenclaws turned to watch and one even wolf-whistled.

This seemed to restore her confidence, because as she settled herself next to Lee, she leaned across him to grab a strawberry before biting into it slowly, sucking out its juices with a grin.

"Well, I'm awake now," Lee said, placing his satchel over his lap. Fred and George burst into laughter, spraying bits of egg and sausage all over the table.

"Lovely," I muttered, sliding out one of the newest editions to my book collection, A Thousand Acres. I ignored the biscuits George placed onto my dish, instead making myself my usual cup of tea.

Lee tried to recover. "I didn't know you wore glasses Noel."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't."

"Well…they look really nice on you." Lee rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh huh," she responded airily, reaching for a muffin. George's mouth twitched.

Fred nudged me with his foot. "Oi, are you going to try out the snack box in class today?"

"With who? Snape, McGonagall, or Umbridge?" I asked drily, helping myself to some mash.

Noel tilted her head thoughtfully. "You know, I never realized how shitty your schedule is."

Lee and the twins snorted into their breakfast while I sighed and opened my book.

"Good morning all!" came a cheerful voice as Alicia Spinnet seated herself on George's other side. "How is everyone?"

"Better now that you're here," George responded with a wink. As I watched Alicia giggle and elbow him from behind my book, a searing hot pain settled heavily in my stomach.

Forcing myself to return to my reading, I chastised myself, knowing that George and I could never be more than friends. I wasn't even speaking to him at the moment, and it was cruel of me to hope for something to happen between us. It couldn't be healthy that I so constantly compared him to Cedric.

The pair continued to flirt and it took all of my willpower to take in the words in front of me. I flipped the page.

_I suspected that there were things he knew that I had been waiting all my life to learn, _I read, and I glanced up, watching him in consideration. He was now telling a joke to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, his face animated and his hands gesturing wildly. I exchanged an eye roll with Hermione Granger and smiled in spite of myself.

Perhaps I'd judged him too harshly. There had to be more to him than jokes and pranks. He was ambitious enough to be starting his own business. He was kind to his sister. He thought the world of Harry Potter. His marks were good despite his claim that his mind was not to be wasted in a classroom atmosphere. His favorite thing to do was to make people laugh.

I knew I should be grateful for George finding me that night. It had been months since my last panic attack. I was rusty, and unprepared. The things that he'd said had actually made sense, and I'd been thinking about them nonstop. But still…I'd never been so candid with someone before, not even Cedric. He'd never witnessed one of my attacks, and never once saw me cry. It was weirdly personal somehow, and yet George had spread it around like it was common knowledge.

"Oi Turner, are you coming or should I hand you a detention slip myself?" Lee nudged my shoulder, dragging me from my thoughts. With a sigh I put away my book and shouldered my bookbag, following him out of the hall and towards the dungeons. I shivered as the temperature immediately dropped, and wrapped my robes tightly around me.

Lee had graciously offered to be my partner after my falling out with Martin, and at the end of the class, I'd done 90% of the work which had earned us a surprising Outstanding. Every time I received that sort of grade from Snape, it made me incredibly happy. Potions was a class I had to have an O in to get admitted into healing school, not to mention, an O from Snape was a rarity in itself. This was only my fourth Outstanding of the year so far, and we were nearly into November. And he was shockingly hard on even those in his own house.

I supposed there was a certain amount of favor that went into students like Graham Montague even making the cut for NEWT level Potions, but as far as I knew he was barely scraping by with Acceptables. Snape could be foul when he wanted to but I was definitely going to be prepared for the entrance exam into the Healing program, and I could hardly claim he was just giving the grades away to Slytherins.

Ancient Runes passed quickly as always. It was one of my favorite classes, and as it was just Noel and I, we got a lot more work done. She seemed to be thawing towards me bit by bit. She no longer sneered when I entered rooms and wasn't embarrassed to be seen walking with me in public. The other night she'd even told Grace to shove herself down Myrtle's toilet when she had mentioned that I seemed to have quite the thing for quidditch players.

Transfiguration was certainly interesting. We'd been working on turning our partners into inanimate objects, and George had accidently turned Fred's legs into a coat stand, while his torso and head remained. McGonagall had just about had an aneurysm trying to right him, for every time she attempted the spell, George countered it behind her back until he left the classroom with a sore ear and a loss of twenty points for Gryffindor.

The corridors were even more crowded than usual, and I made a face as a Ravenclaw ran by, stomping on my foot as she went. "You'd think that in a school with this much magic they'd have figured out a way to ensure everyone had their own space to walk," I grouched, limping along beside Noel, Lee, and the twins.

"Aw, is ickle Prudence upset because her toesies hurt?" Fred asked, pinching my cheek. I slapped his hand away.

With a glare, I kept my gaze ahead. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," George said arrogantly. "OI, PEE-BRAINS, COMING THROUGH, COMING THROUGH, GOT AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS DEAL TO TAKE CARE OF, BUDGE OVER!" he shouted, using the wide span of his arms to clear a path. He then placed one arm around me and the other around Noel.

The latter raised a brow. "Can I help you with something?"

He pretended to think about it. "I was just wondering if you two lovely ladies were going to come to the match tomorrow afternoon, to show some Gryffindor spirit."

"We're Hufflepuffs," she responded drily, shrugging him off her.

"Do you want the Slytherins to win?!" Lee asked in outrage.

Noel rolled her eyes. "Do you really think two Hufflepuffs dressed in scarlet will make that much of a difference?"

Lee blinked. "…yes!"

"Urgh, fine. It's not like I have anything else to do. All the cute boys will be there anyway." Lee looked thoroughly put out as we rounded the corner.

George stared at me but I remained staring down the corridor, my arms now rigid at my sides. The only quidditch matches I'd gone to were the ones Cedric played in, because he had always asked me to come. He always said he would play better knowing there was one more person cheering him on.

"Are you coming or not?" Fred demanded as we reached Umbridge's classroom.

Finally separating myself from George, I took my seat in the back between Noel and Lee. "I suppose…"

"Excellent!" the twins cried, rubbing their hands together.

"What is excellent, Misters Weasley, is the two of you remaining quiet while I am teaching. Five points from Gryffindor," Umbridge said smugly as she closed the door behind her. Montague and Adrian Pucey smirked behind their hands and Angelina turned to the twins and shook her head with wide eyes.

Reluctantly, both Fred and George remained silent, although George began working a groove into the desk with his quill. Class was the usual Ministry-approved lecture. We learned the method behind several protective spells, such as 'salvio hexia' and 'protego totalum.' In other words, completely useless information. Even a third year would be able to cast these charms, but this was no good if we didn't even get to practice them.

Suddenly the skin around my neck began to burn, and I let out a cry of pain. Slowly, the class turned towards me.

"Is everything all right Miss Turner?" Umbridge asked with a wide smile, looking quite like she would enjoy it if everything was not all right.

Ignoring the blistering heat against my chest, I forced a smile. "Apologies Professor. I nicked myself on my quill."

To my relief, she continued with her lecture after another nasty smile was directed my way. Fred, George, and Lee shot me knowing looks as they dug around in their pockets but I ignored them, as Noel was sitting on my left. As casually as I could I pulled my necklace out from beneath my shirt and rested it on top of my sweater. The pain immediately resided, but I could feel the heat slowly seeping from my skin.

I waited a painstaking five minutes until I glanced at it. The next meeting was in three days' time, at eight o'clock. Chewing on my lip, I reached up to tuck the necklace back under my robes. My fingers grasped the small, metal book charm as I did so, running over its sharp edges and the ripples of the pages. Noel raised a brow at me as George shifted in his seat, turning towards the wall.

Class seemed to take forever.

"You never answered my question the other day." Noel jumped as she walked into the dormitory.

"Jesus Christ, Turner, are you trying to give me stress wrinkles?" With a simpering look tossed my way, she sat down primly at her desk and took out a small container of red nail polish. "I'm going to do my nails for the game tomorrow. You can borrow it after, if you'd like."

Right. The quidditch match. The first quidditch match I would be going to that Cedric wasn't playing in. "No, thanks. But I'd quite like to know how you knew all of that stuff about me. Particularly the stuff about…Cedric."

Noel pursed her perfectly painted lips and tilted her head, focusing on the tip of her thumb nail. "Well, he talked about you all the bloody time."

"He did?" I asked, my book long forgotten as it fell to the floor heavily.

"Don't play stupid, it doesn't suit you. You play this game like you're so shy and innocent, you make it seem like everyone else is the bully and you're the victim. But it was _you _who never talked to _us. _You only spoke to those you deemed important enough, like Cedric. You were too good for us immature teenagers, and our parties and our plans and our lives." She blew on her nails, waving her hand about.

My jaw dropped open. "_What?!"_ She didn't respond. "Noel, you do realize that the very first day we got here, I tried to befriend you and Grace and you both ignored me."

"So? We were eleven! I never said kids were nice, and I never said I was either. But you never even bothered after that. We saw each other all day, every day for six years and you were always too busy to even say hello, or ask how my day was going. Then you show up for school in September looking like a little, lost puppy, and all the boys flock to you because you're so sad and heartbroken. Urgh."

I stood up and began to pace slightly, because I was too amped up to sit still. "But-but it's not like you were trying to be my friend either."

"No?" Noel turned around to face me suddenly. "So you don't remember the time in second year when your copy of Gone With the Wind tore, and you didn't know the repairing spell, and I put it back together for you? Or…how about in fourth year when you spilled ink all down your front one morning before classes, and I lent you my last clean uniform shirt? Fifth year, when those fucking first years were flicking spit balls at you in the library and they suddenly had boils all over their sticky fingers? Last year, when I invited you to sit with us on the train and you blew us off because your sodding romance novel was much cooler than actual people."

My brow furrowed. When she said it like that…I guess I seemed pretty frigid. But she was just feeling sorry for herself! She was probably jealous I was getting all this attention. No, wait, I wasn't getting any attention. "Noel, those weren't attempts at friendship, those were basic human courtesies. Okay, maybe the first years in the library was kind of you, but I didn't even know that was you! I thought it was Hannah Abbott! And I didn't sit with you because why would someone, who's bloody terrified of people, want to sit in a compartment full of them knowing nothing about them?"

"There you go playing that game again," she muttered.

"Noel, it's not a game! I suppose it looked worse than it really was, but I wasn't trying to place myself above anyone else. Honestly, even making accidental eye contact with a stranger makes me feel nauseous. I can hardly hold a conversation with someone that I _do_ know, let alone acquaintances. But we're getting off topic. I answered your question, so you answer mine." Defiantly, I folded my arms across my chest.

With a roll of her eyes and a toss of her hair, she sighed and slapped her hands against her thighs. "All right. Cedric talked about you. Non-stop. About how funny you were, how clever, how witty. How smart you were, how you were always saying such profound things on your rounds or during your little study sessions. So your relationship with him wasn't as invisible as you thought.

"I started watching you. How your face lit up when he walked in a room. How you blushed whenever he so much as looked at you. How almost five months later you still hold that pendant like it's the only thing that's keeping you here."

A tear escaped and slid down my cheek before I could wipe it away. "He really talked about me?"

"And still that's the only thing you're taking away from this conversation. Why do I bother?" she said sarcastically.

"Why are you being so horrible? You don't know what it was like for me. I was alone and sad and shy and awkward…and Cedric was bright and friendly and kind. He listened. He cared. I wasn't like you, with someone constantly pursuing me and friends to spare. I was pathetic, okay, and we both know that! Why do you even care about this?" I was now crying openly, and my fingers couldn't suppress the steady flow.

There was a pause, during which Noel shuffled around in one of her desk drawers. She nudged me gently and I looked up from my hands to find her extending a wad of tissue. As I took it, she sighed. "I'm not trying to be mean. I'm being honest. All I'm saying is that to everyone else it seemed like you were a bit stuck up. Admittedly, I figured out you weren't the day you blew up at Grace and the lot…but it's hard to forget six years of silence."

I didn't answer, just picked my book up off the floor and sat on my bed, dabbing my eyes. My cheeks felt scratchy and my head ached.

"If you want to borrow it, the nail polish will be right here. And I'd like to go with you to the match tomorrow, if you're okay with it. So…good night."

Only when the door closed behind her did I look up, and I stared at the polish with a scrutinizing look. Did the students here really think I was a snob? Had Cedric actually had conversations about me with his mates? Had Noel actually been trying to be my friend?

I let out a short groan of frustration and got up, heading into the bathroom where I splashed my face with cold water. What did I want? I'd never really had any choices before when it came to friendship or boys. My face was pale and my eyes were blotchy. My dark, curly hair was lank, and lifeless. Sleep. That was what I wanted.

"Where's Noel?" Lee inquired as I joined him at the Gryffindor table the next morning. George was glaring at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy and Marcus Flint were passing out buttons.

Ignoring Lee, I frowned. "Oi, what do those say?"

"They're making fun of Ron. Can't let him see them," Fred muttered, looking up from his sausage.

I observed the twins. This was the first time I'd seen both of them so subdued. Pursing my lips, I dropped my fork, got up from the bench, and walked across the hall. The Slytherins looked up as I came to a stop in front of them.

Graham Montague licked his lips. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" he asked smarmily, eyeing me up and down.

"The buttons. Hand them over," I said crisply, holding out my hand.

"Ooh," Flint laughed. "Nice nails, half-breed, I see you're supporting Gryffindor today. Or are you a mudblood? Know you can't be pure, I can smell the filth on you."

Malfoy smirked so broadly I thought his face was going to split in two. "She's half. Her mother was a Gryffindor. Married a Muggle. And now she's got a pathetic little half-breed daughter."

How did he know that? No one at Hogwarts knew about my mother. But I supposed his family had ties to the Death Eaters. He gave me a knowing look.

My heart dropped into my stomach and I felt my legs quiver, but I swallowed and held my ground. "As a prefect, I'm going to confiscate these buttons. I don't want to see anyone wearing them, or you'll be reported to your Head of House. And I'm taking fifteen points from Slytherin for failure to follow orders, foul language, and insolence."

I snatched up the box containing the buttons and turned on my heel, ready to get away from the Slytherin table, but a tall, dark skinned girl stood suddenly, blocking my way. She raised her wand, and I realized in a panic that it was pointed at me.

Then I heard a cry from behind me and I whirled to see Montague scrambling under the table to retrieve his own wand, which had been knocked from his hand.

"Not going to curse someone with their back turned, were you Graham?" she asked. Then she rolled her eyes. "I hate people on power trips."

"Thanks," I said quietly. "That could've gotten nasty."

She opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Snape. "What is going on here?"

"I came over here to confiscate these buttons, Sir, they're quite rude, and erm, they all, er, refused. And then they were using foul language. So I took fifteen points. And then one of them tried to jinx me while my back was turned, Sir," I said quietly, keeping my eyes on the ground.

Snape turned to the girl. "Is this true, Miss Farley?"

Farley. Right. Her name was Gemma Farley, the seventh year female prefect for Slytherin House.

"Unfortunately, Professor, it's true. They were breaking several rules." Gemma shot the group of boys a filthy glare. Flint bared his buck teeth.

He was quiet for a moment as he assessed the situation. "Miss Turner, as a prefect, surely you must know that these buttons weren't against any school rules in the first place, so there was no reason for you to be over here. And if you were not over here interrogating my students, then surely they would have had no reason to break any rules at all. Therefore, I must return ten of the points that you took. Next time, leave the disciplining to a professor."

"Yes, Sir," I muttered, my cheeks burning. I kept my gaze down as I moved around Snape and Gemma and hastened back to my seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Are you okay?" George asked immediately, taking the box and shoving it under the table so Ron wouldn't see it.

I nodded, but my shaking hands gave it away. Fred wrapped an arm around me. "That was bloody awesome! You stood up to five Slytherins _and _greasy old Snape all in one!"

"I didn't stand up to anyone. Snape was right. I had no reason to be over there." With a bit of difficulty, I poured myself a cup of tea.

Lee shook his head in vigor. "No, I'm sure there's a rule against this sort of propaganda somewhere. At the very least it's unsportsmen-like. In professional quidditch, if the players were seen with any sort of merchandise like that, they'd have earned a penalty shot against them."

George flicked a bit of egg at him. "How on Earth do you know that? I didn't know that, and I play quidditch."

"Hey, me too!" Fred exclaimed in mock surprise.

The two exchanged a mischievous grin and high-fived. "Twins!"

I giggled slightly as I tore apart a breakfast roll.

"There's that smile I was looking for," Fred said encouragingly, sliding the bowl of sugar towards me. I gratefully poured a spoonful into my cup.

"Oi, you two, we're having a team meeting in the locker room in ten minutes, you'd better get down there now. And _no _hexing Slytherins on the way there! Umbridge will suspend the team in an instant, with or without a reason," Angelina threatened as she came up behind us.

Fred and George both rose, clutching their quidditch kits. "Good luck," I called after them. Fred winked. George tossed me a backwards look before turning and walking out of the hall.

"I'd better be getting down to the pitch as well. Want to start warming up my voice, I'm sure I'm going to be calling a lot of fouls," Lee spoke, draining his goblet of pumpkin juice. "You coming?"

I watched a group of rowdy Ravenclaws stream out the doors, bearing scarlet scarves. Then I turned my attention to the high table, where Snape was looking happier than I'd seen him since the term had begun.

"Yes, just one moment." I stood, retrieving my wand from my pocket. With a few quick spells, my sweater, scarf, and robes were all a brilliant, ruby red, and my already painted nails, which I had done early this morning, now sparkled and were embellished with lion heads.

Lee nodded approvingly. "Let's go watch some snakes get destroyed, eh?"

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**A/N: Hello all, here's the latest installment of Prudence and Co. If you liked it, or even if you hated it, drop a review so I can hear your thoughts! Stay tuned for the match, something like an apology, and another Dumbledore's Army meeting! And let's not forget about Kenneth!**


	9. For Life

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

The walk down to the pitch with Lee seemed to take forever. I had to stop when I saw students wearing the buttons, and before I had even crossed the Entrance Hall I was thoroughly unpopular amongst the Slytherins and Ravenclaws. The badges were an ugly putrid color and bore Ron's face, with the words, 'Weasley is Our King' plastered across it. If you poked it with your wand, his face contorted like he was spewing out vomit.

By the time we had reached the grounds, players were already taking warm up laps and I was thoroughly irritated. I understood that Gryffindor and Slytherin had bad blood between them: both were prideful, the Gryffindors extremely open about their diversity and the Slytherins were notoriously monolithic. I just couldn't believe how cruel students could be to one another. Were we not all magical?

"All right, I've got to head up to the commentator's booth, I'll see you after the match. Oi, and tell Noel she looks foxy for me!" Lee called as he jogged away, dodging a Slytherin who shot past him, his feet skimming the grass.

"Merlin…" I muttered to myself. Quidditch was honestly a crazy sport. Only people who were psychotic could ride on a piece of enchanted wood that went up to eighty miles an hour, flying around dodging balls of metal that hurled themselves at you. And that said nothing about the other players who could knock you off your broom in ways much more creative than a bludger.

Nervously, I forced my way through the throng of students heading up to the Hufflepuff stands. The majority of my house wore scarlet with their yellow robes, and I didn't see any of the blasted buttons, thankfully. Noel was seated in the exact center of the benches, applying her typical red lipstick and ignoring the cluster of fourth years trying to casually sneak a peek under her skirt.

I wrung my hands slightly as I made my way over to her, before sticking them in the pockets of my jacket. "Can I sit here?"

She looked up slowly. "Let me see your nails."

Frowning, I held them out to her. After about thirty seconds, she nodded. "Sit."

Feeling like a dog, I settled myself beside her and found Fred and George, their shocking red hair making them stand out, even from two hundred feet in the air. They were shooting a bludger back and forth between each other, completely unfazed by its unpredictability.

"God bless their mother," I stated, watching in awe as the bludger came inches away from taking Fred's head off, who promptly laughed and spun around on his broom.

Noel snorted in laughter. "So I saw you come down here with Lee."

"Yeah, oh, yeah he said to tell you that you look foxy." I pressed my lips together. That sounded much weirder to say aloud as a third party.

"But he hasn't even seen me today." She looked thoroughly put off by this fact.

I shrugged as the players touched down. They were gathered by Madame Hooch. "He thinks you look foxy every day I guess. He seems quite…fond of you."

"Yeah…" We both watched Marcus Flint crush Angelina Johnson's fingers. To her credit, she didn't flinch.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and fourteen players shot up into the air.

"And it's Gryffindor with possession! Chaser Katie Bell speeds down the pitch towards Captain Flint, she shoots, she – oh, tough luck Katie. I suppose Flint's troll-like physique comes in handy sometimes – sorry Professor!"

The crowd laughed uproariously as Lee dodged McGonagall's hands grabbing for the microphone.

"Pucey of Slytherin now in control, he's headed for Gryffindor's new keeper Ron Weasley, aaaand 10 points to Slytherin." Lee sounded less than enthusiastic, and I heard Harry yell down to Ron words of encouragement. He did not look well at all. In fact, he looked like he might be ill.

Fred looped around Alicia Spinnet as he whacked a bludger out of her path. It took out Montague, who swore loudly as he clutched his arm.

"NICE ONE, FRED!" I yelled through cupped hands. Noel eyed me in surprise.

My ears pricked up as I began to hear the strains of music. "What is that?"

Noel and I turned our heads towards the Slytherin stands. "Weasley is our king, Weasley is our king, he always lets the quaffle in, Weasley is our king!"

"Are you kidding me?" Angrily, I stood and aimed my wand at the mass of emerald. One by one I fired off silencing spells, but it was no use. There were too many of them, even with Noel helping once she realized my intentions.

Pansy Parkinson got up in front and faced her house, pretending to conduct with her wand. The music surged, and a quick glance at Ron showed that he heard every note.

I chewed on my lip. I'd been reading up on defensive spells lately, in preparation for the next DA meeting, and I had seen this one jinx… "Langlock," I whispered, and all of a sudden Pansy clutched at her throat.

My heart seized up. Had I just cut off her air supply? Oh my God, what had I done?

After a beat she managed to communicate to Millicent Bulstrode what had happened, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that?"

I turned to her guiltily. "Er, it's this spell called 'langlock.' It glues a person's tongue to the roof of their mouth."

Her brown eyes widened and I half expected a lecture. "Brilliant!" And she began to jinx every single Slytherin.

"WEASLEY IS OUR KING, WEASLEY IS OUR KING, HE ALWAYS LET'S THE QUAFFLE IN, WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"

Ron looked positively green.

"40-10, Slytherin…"

More frantically now, I kept at it, but quickly forced Noel down into her seat as I caught Snape's eye. "We've got to stop. Snape's looking. There's nothing against singing at a quidditch match, but there certainly is against hexing other students."

She nodded in acceptance as Slytherin scored once again.

"What is this? Is it – yes! Harry Potter has seen the snitch!"

The crowd murmured in excitement as we all shifted our attention to Harry, who was shooting straight for the ground, Malfoy on his tail. I gripped the hard bench tightly with my fingertips, my breathing getting quicker and quicker.

"He's going to crash!" Noel cried, and there were whispers of assent among those nearest us.

Malfoy pulled up on his broom, but Harry kept going, he was forty feet from the ground, thirty, twenty –

"HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE GOLDEN SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee shouted, and the pitch erupted in cheers.

Noel grabbed my arms and we jumped up and down, shrieking. That was a huge defeat! Slytherin would have to beat both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw by a wide margin to continue on for the Quidditch Cup.

We followed the crowd as everyone started to head onto the pitch, when suddenly I watched Fred and George get yanked back.

"Noel, look," I said as I pointed. Draco Malfoy was standing smugly on the grass, leaning against his broom. It was clear even from all the way up here that he was goading them. Harry was restraining George, and it took Angelina, Alicia, and Katie together to hold back Fred.

"Holy shit!"

All of a sudden, Harry and George were both streaking towards the Slytherin, and he was on the ground, with Harry and George landing blow after blow.

Nothing like this had ever happened at a quidditch match that I'd seen. I couldn't believe that George would let himself get worked up like that! Harry of course had issues with Malfoy, but George was…well, he was George! He didn't get angry, and he certainly didn't get violent.

The pair of them were thrown backwards by an irate-looking McGonagall, whose face was white with fury. As Madame Pomfrey rushed over to tend to Malfoy, McGonagall pointed at the castle with a severe look, and both Harry and George stalked off the pitch, leaving their brooms behind. Angelina was trying to plead with Madame Hooch and Umbridge, who had, of course found her way to the scene of the crime.

"What do you think is going to happen to them?" I asked, trying to find a clearer path out of the stands through the sea of students.

Noel shook her head in awe. "I don't know…Umbridge will probably try and get the Gryffindor team disbanded or something."

I turned to her. "Do you think?"

"Well, look at it this way. She's evil. She was a Slytherin. She's Fudge's puppet, meaning she's very anti-Potter. And she's already got a history with the twins," she said matter-of-factly.

We were both quiet for several tense moments as we fought our way through the throng. Once we had reached solid ground and we had broken off from the mob, she spoke again.

"You know, Voldemort is a villain, but one that most people never face directly. We, however, have to face Umbridge every day."

My stomach churned uncomfortably like it did every time she said his name. "Noel, you can't seriously be comparing the two. I mean, I know Umbridge is horrible, but-"

"No!" she cut me off. "Umbridge makes students write with their own blood as a punishment for even the most meager of infractions. You know that little third year, Stephanie Featherby? She got a detention for chewing gum and came back bawling. That's just cruel. I bet Umbridge is a Muggle-hater."

Nervously, I glanced around. "Don't say stuff like that in public, come on, Noel! You never know who could hear you."

She shot me an incredulous look. "Prudence, she's not in the mafia, and this isn't the Ministry. There's nothing against speculation. You can't say you don't agree."

"Well, I haven't seen her treat the Muggle-borns any differently," I said fairly.

"Have you seen a single Slytherin get so much as a reprimanding? Don't stick up for her. Remember your detention?"

I rubbed the back of my left hand with my thumb. The scars had smoothed over slightly, but the letters had turned a pinkish white, and often times throughout the day it throbbed, dragging me back to that lace-infested office. "Yes I remember, thanks."

She shrugged, and the two of us did not speak until we reached the castle. Everyone was discussing the fight. The Slytherins looked mutinous, and the Gryffindors dumbfounded. We could all guess that nothing good was coming for their team.

We clambered through the tunnel to our common room. Grace was simpering by the fire, with Martin massaging her shoulders.

"And I really didn't think you could be any more of a twat," Noel scoffed, her hair streaming behind her as she sashayed her way to our dormitory. I pressed my lips together to contain my laughter as Grace sneered and Patrick shot Noel a rude hand gesture.

Grace's life was something out of a teenage movie. She forced those around her to treat her like a princess. I think she thought she truly was royalty. It was all very odd. Perhaps she was truly deluded.

With a shake of my head, I followed Noel into our room, taking a seat at my desk. I had some Transfiguration homework left to do for class on Monday, and as I had rounds with Kenneth tonight and an essay or three to write tomorrow, I figured I should get it out of the way now.

Noel was on her bed examining various magazines. She ever so carefully selected a glittery pink one, settling back against her pillows with a self-satisfactory sigh.

"Don't you have any work to do?" I asked in disbelief. I never saw her doing any assignments, but somehow she always managed to ace her classes.

She shrugged. "I did it all yesterday."

"All…what?"

"All of my homework for Monday and Tuesday."

Blinking, I glanced at the pile of books and parchment that were taking up a large portion of my desk. It was taller than my head. "How is that possible? You were only in the library for two hours."

Noel gave me a condescending grin. "Well, you see Prudence, if you already know the answers to the essay prompts and don't need to spend all of your precious time pouring through books older than Merlin himself, it takes no time at all. Besides, Flitwick doesn't care about page references and Sinistra only ever reads the beginning and end. You can write whatever you want in the middle."

I tossed down my quill in frustration. I worked so hard for my grades. I wasn't the most intelligent student at Hogwarts by any means. Transfiguration and Astronomy were the only subjects that I didn't have to force the grades for. Every other class was a struggle for me, day in and day out. And yet people like Noel just seemed to have this magical ability – no pun intended – to grasp every concept and absorb it into their brain.

"I'm going to find George," I muttered. I grabbed a bottle of murtlap out of my drawer, tucked my wand into the back pocket of my jeans, and let the door slam shut behind me. How was I supposed to concentrate with Noel flipping her bubblegum –scented magazine pages, anyway?

The halls were relatively empty. I figured by now, everyone was either in their common room gossiping about the match or were in the library with their noses buried in books. I had to apologize to George. I'd been acting like a child all week, and I knew he was probably going to need the murtlap for all his future detentions.

I hopped over the trick step on the fourth floor, then ducked beneath a tapestry that I'd seen Lee disappear behind the other day when he needed to run back to his room for his Charms book. I hurriedly lit my wand. I loathed the dark, and I hated small spaces as well, but whatever got me to Gryffindor Tower the fastest was best.

Walking quickly, I emerged outside the stretch of wall that housed the Room of Requirement. Smiling slightly to myself, I hurried down the corridor until I came across the Fat Lady. "Er…pig snout," I stated, hoping this was still the password. To my relief, she swung open. I had a feeling my still-scarlet clothing had something to do with the fact.

The common room was fairly crowded, and I saw Fred sitting around the fire with Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Not a single one of them was speaking.

"Hey," I said quietly as I walked over. They looked up in surprise. "What happened?"

Angelina scowled and rested her forehead in her hands. Katie rubbed her back soothingly.

"Lifetime ban," Fred croaked, shaking his head. I looked to Harry for confirmation, who nodded, his eyes dark.

I stood there for a moment. "Is George upstairs?"

At Ginny's confirmation, I gave Fred and awkward pat on the shoulder and Harry a sympathetic smile before heading up the staircase. My steps were slow as I tried to form sentences in my mind of what I was going to say. I knew I should be sensitive, and kind, and cautious. But all I really wanted to say was, "what the hell were you thinking?!" and whack him over the back of the head.

After several minutes of climbing, I came to a stop outside their door, which was engraved with the initials of many who had inhabited the room before them. I could feel a slight draft at my ankles. I knocked twice, and when there was no answer, I pushed it open. George was standing by the window, hurling objects out of it with his back to me. From the looks of it, most everything that went flying was Kenneth's.

"George?" My voice was timid. He turned, dropping the socks that had been in his hand.

He didn't respond, so I stepped closer. His lip was bleeding. "I can fix that, if you want."

George shook his head. I tried again. "Was he saying things about your family?" He nodded reluctantly. "Your blood status?" He gave another, short nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" When George shook his head, I rubbed my hand against my thigh. "Can I say something then?"

Once again, he remained silent, so I took a deep breath. "Look, I know I've been acting stupid. I just thought that you couldn't take anything seriously. I thought that everything was one big joke to you, including me. You have to realize that I'm not upfront about things like you are. I don't tell people things. For me to have told you the stuff…about Cedric, it was a big deal. And then you went and told your brothers and Harry and Hermione about it and it upset me."

His eyes suddenly caught mine and I nearly lost my nerve, but I forced myself to keep going. "But I- I get it now. You weren't trying to hurt me. It's just how you are. You're open and honest, and it probably didn't seem like anything to you. And I was wrong, you can take things seriously…I think it speaks a lot about your character that you can take so much hatred and anger and just keep smiling, and keep other people smiling. So I wanted to say…I'm sorry George. I'm so sorry." I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I waited.

Ever so slowly, his head bowed in a nod of acceptance, and I moved forward, gently wrapping my arms around him. He was surprisingly warm for someone who had been standing next to an open window. After a moment, his hands found their way to my back, and he placed his chin on my shoulder. "I'm sorry too. I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not," I said as I pulled back. My cheeks were slightly flushed, but I hope the dimmed lighting hid the fact.

"Everyone knows Malfoy is a poor sport. I should have ignored it, I just-" he cut himself off as he clenched his fists.

I grabbed his wrist. "Hey. You're good, George Weasley. And I think I'm a pretty good judge of character considering all I did for six years was sit back and observe everyone. You're ten times what most of the other students here are. So you lost control, it happens. It doesn't make you a bad person. And I'm not one to condone violence, but everyone could tell that Malfoy clearly deserved it."

There was a pause during which George retrieved the socks. "Thanks, Prudence."

I blushed again as we watched them soar out the window. "Do you want to go downstairs?"

"No," he replied, and another pair of socks made their way outside.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He chuckled slightly. "Not even slightly."

Biting down on my lips, which were raw from the cold air, I glanced down at his stockpile of Kenneth's belongings. "Do you want some help with these?"

George looked over to me, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. Then, to my surprise, he threw his head back and laughed. "I honestly didn't think anyone could make me feel better."

Grabbing a tie, I balled it up and flung it. It unraveled and streamed downwards like a parade ribbon. "So I cheered you up?"

"Maybe." He shot me a sideways glance, and I nudged him with my elbow. Soon, we were in a nudging match, and I laughed aloud.

After another five minutes, a particularly frigid breeze blew past, and George shut the window. "You don't have to stay if you want. You can go, I'm all right."

I shrugged. "I'm good up here. My other option is to go on rounds with Kenneth, but I think I'd rather give Filch a spongebath."

"You're truly disgusting," George said as we both settled ourselves on his bed. "And Prudence Turner skiving off prefect duties, who knew?"

"Hey, the world may never see it again," I stated, and I tucked my legs beneath myself after sliding off my boots. My left sock had a hole in the toe.

We were quiet for a while, George staring out the window and me staring down at the bedspread.

"Prudence?" he said suddenly, and I glanced up at him. "Thanks."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

I woke up completely exhausted the next morning. I'd stayed up in George's dormitory for hours, with him, Lee and Fred until it was nearly curfew. I only left because I didn't fancy Kenneth coming back and lecturing me for skipping rounds. By the time I'd returned to my own room, both Noel and Grace were sleeping, but I still needed to finish my homework, so I sat by the fire until long after it had died out. I think I managed to get at least five hours of sleep before I was awoken by Grace singing in the shower.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Fred greeted me, his lips twitching.

I made an indistinct noise and poured myself a very large cup of tea, rubbing at the very large bags beneath my eyes. "McGonagall's essay took me ages last night."

Lee raised a brow. "You realize you could've done it today. It's Sunday."

I took a bite out of a nearby croissant. "Are you aware of just how much homework we have? All today I've got a 14 inch essay for Flitwick, a footer for Trollbridge, five pages of translations for Ancient Runes, and at some point I've got to do my star chart."

George nodded. "What say we all go up to the Astronomy Tower on Tuesday night? That way the three of us can copy Prudence's answers!"

"Or I could enchant my paper so that anytime someone besides me looked at it, they'd find themselves vomiting up blood." With a shrug, I crammed a forkful of peppered eggs into my mouth.

All three of them shuddered. "Let's make it a team effort!" Lee suggested hastily, and I grinned triumphantly.

Sunday passed relatively quickly, considering I spent seven hours in the library. Noel was nowhere to be found, but Lee joined me for a bit to do his own Charms essay. The twins mysteriously claimed they had some business to attend to elsewhere, and I didn't see them again until it was time for dinner.

Charles Goldstein, the Head Boy, had cornered me on my way to the Great Hall. Apparently both Kenneth and Jennifer were upset with me, as Kenneth's rounds had taken him extra long to complete yesterday and the Head Girl had suffered through an earful of it.

Thankfully, Charles was much nicer than his female counterpart, and simply told me that I could join Gemma Farley on her rounds on Tuesday evening, and it would be considered taken care of.

At the Gryffindor Table, Noel was still suspiciously absent, making Lee pout all through his shepherd's pie. The twins had come straight from the grounds where they had been serving detention with Professor Grubbly-Plank, and stank of sweat and dirt. It seemed that however angry McGonagall had been with them yesterday afternoon, she refused to give them detention with Umbridge. Perhaps she did know what went on in that woman's office.

Once again, as we sat by Alicia Spinnet, who had her Astronomy work in front of her, our late night rendezvous was brought up.

"It'll have to be after my rounds. I just got new ones to make up for yesterday and I can't miss them," I cautioned. "If I skip again, I'll be reported, and I don't fancy Jennifer Mickelson coming after me."

All four of us looked towards the Ravenclaw table. She was sitting ramrod straight, chugging pumpkin juice as she sped-read from her Arithmancy textbook, writing furiously on a piece of parchment without even glancing down. When a third year reached across her to get to the pasties, she snarled so loudly that the girl fled down the bench.

"So after rounds then?" Fred inquired, and I sighed, resting my chin in my hand.

Monday, unlike Sunday, seemed to go on forever. I woke up much too early, with the sky still asleep, and I tossed and turned for an hour before giving up and reading a library book about Death Eaters by wandlight. I had then fallen back asleep, had a horrific nightmare about my mother, and missed breakfast completely.

Double Charms on an empty stomach put me in a foul mood. As a joke, Fred tried to charm my ponytail to create a cheerleading routine, but he quickly stopped when he could no longer feel his arm. Astronomy wasn't much better. On top of the star chart that was due on Wednesday, she assigned us an essay on the moons of Neptune and their roles with magical auras, and Muggle Studies was painfully dull.

I usually found the subject fascinating, because although I grew up in the Muggle world, I loved hearing about it from the wizard's point of view; however, all we discussed that class was Muggle fashion throughout the seventies and eighties, and though Noel may have loved it, I found myself sketching for the better part of an hour. It wasn't until the bell had rung that I realized I had drawn Cedric's face, next to a gruesome looking Dark Mark.

I showed up to Herbology thoroughly shaken by my subconscious, and I was counting my blessings that I sat alone in Burbage's class, or else I had a feeling I would be taken to Madame Pomfrey to have my sanity examined. Shockingly, Herbology turned out to be the best class of the day. All we had to do was put our Monkshood plants to sleep with a well-placed stream of warm water, and then write down our findings.

"Noel, where were you all day yesterday?" I asked as I jotted down a sentence, the ink splattering against my fingers.

She tossed back her hair. "Just around, you know. People to see, places to go."

I blinked. "Uh huh. Well, I just thought it was interesting that our dormitory was empty, and no one saw you around the common room all day. And I know you weren't in the library, or on the grounds. The twins were outside doing detention."

"You know, I don't pry into your personal life," she snapped.

"Actually, you do. Quite a bit." With a raised brow, I shook my head and returned to my work. She'd been acting weirdly all day. In Charms she'd barely managed to change her facial features, disappointing even Flitwick, who tried his hardest to be pleased with all of his students. She'd sat alone in Astronomy, looking into her telescope any time Lee or I attempted conversation. Now, she was biting my head off every time I inquired about her Sunday or even tried to bring up her odd behavior today.

She ignored me, and we worked in silence until the bell rang. To my complete and utter surprise, Noel accompanied me to the library, despite her obvious annoyance with me. "I thought you didn't have any homework to do for tomorrow?"

"I don't." With her signature eye roll, she flung her bag down and rustled around in it for a moment before victoriously pulling out a piece of parchment.

Trying my best to disregard her frantic scribbling, I took out my barely used Defense textbook. This would make it the second time I had opened it outside of Umbridge's classroom, and it was only because of the essay that she had assigned about the properties of the non-verbal Expelliarmus charm. I completed the roll of parchment with a smirk, thanking Harry in my head. How ironic was it that the boy she had branded a liar, the boy she was trying so hard to discredit, was helping me to ace DADA?

With a frown, I noticed Noel was still writing, the parchment now rolling onto the floor. "Oi, whose essay are you writing? And don't try to tell me you're getting ahead, because I know you."

"It's not an essay, Prudence. It's a letter." She did not look up, and did not even spare me an eye roll.

"Who are you writing a novel to then?" I asked incredulously as I replaced my Defense spellbook with my Ancient Runes.

This time, she did look up. Her brown eyes were glaring at me. "Snape's mum," she snapped.

Taking this as my cue to back off, I bent my head over my translations. The sun had disappeared an hour ago, casting an eerie sort of shadow across the room. It was getting dark earlier now, officially marking the end of autumn. It was the first of November, and soon we would be getting snow. The thought depressed me. I didn't mind the cold weather, but staring at all of the barren trees and frozen flowerbeds made me sad.

A glance at my watch showed me it was a quarter till eight. Noel was, to my amazement, still sitting across from me. She was no longer writing, but was instead reading her words with a look of complete concentration upon her face.

"Come on. Get up. I've got something to show you," I said suddenly.

Noel looked at me like I had grown another head. "Excuse me?"

"Get up. Come on, get up!" I urged her as loudly as I dared. I'd seen Madame Pince lurking about in the Great Wizards of the 18th Century section. Looking immensely pissed off, Noel rolled up her parchment and stowed it in her bag, following me out of the library with very clipped footsteps.

I tugged on her wrist to increase her pace, but as we reached the fourth floor, she yanked it from my grasp. "I'm not going another step until you tell me where in the Tenth Circle of Hell you are taking me!"

I glanced around the empty corridor before I leaned in. "I'm going to prove you right, get it?"

Her eyes widened. "So I was correct…you're doing something being Umbridge's back."

"Do you want in, or not?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips.

She was silent for a moment, observing me with a look of scrutiny. Then she shook her hair back and reshouldered her bag. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Hey all! Happy Monday! I hope you liked this chapter, and even if you didn't please feel free to drop a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Up next: rounds with mysterious Slytherin Gemma, a late night in the Astronomy Tower, and maybe even a snowball fight? Stay tuned!**


	10. Prudence, Past and Present

**Disclaimer: Everything your recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

_It was so dark that the black infinity before me took control over all my senses. I could hear it, smell it, taste it…I could almost touch it. The air was thick with humidity, and the mist settled heavily over my skin. I tried blinking to clear my eyes, but my vision only worsened. Everything was silent as my feet molded into the damp, mossy ground. My heart pounded in my chest, slamming into my rib cage so harshly I was certain there would be bruises. _

"_Lumos," I whispered as loudly as I dared, extending my arm in front of me. A quick survey showed I was surrounded by tall hedges on all sides. A maze. I was in a maze. _

_I walked forward slowly, my steps measured so as not to attract any attention to myself. I heard a whimpering from the other side of the brush, but every time I attempted to look through, the branches grew thicker and thicker until finally I gave up. _

"_Please…" someone moaned. The sound seemed to be some sort of cue; in a matter of seconds, the fog lifted, and I gasped aloud as I took in the sight that lay ahead._

_Cedric was on his hands knees, his face pale and covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. A cloaked wizard stood above him, his face obscured by a mask made of twisted, molten silver that gleamed against the wandlight, casting a shadow over Cedric's hunched form. _

"_Please," he begged again. His eyes were filled with fear, and his entire body shook with the effort to keep from collapsing._

_I was standing right in front of them, but they appeared not to notice me. "Cedric?"_

_He didn't answer, just stared helplessly right through me. "CEDRIC!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, the shout echoing in my ears and enveloping the silence._

_Neither wizard stirred. _

"_What shall I do with you, boy?" the masked man breathed, his wand pressed into Cedric's temple._

_Cedric swallowed, attempting to sit up, only to be forced downwards so that his lips touched the grass. _

_I needed to get out of here, I needed to-_

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

"_NOOOOOOOO!" I slammed my eyes shut, willing myself away. After a moment of silence, I opened them. No longer was I in the maze, listening to Cedric's terrified pleas, but in a cold, dark room. It was small, about the size of my dormitory, and smelled of dust and mold. _

_My heart constricting in fear, I forced myself to light my wand, whirling around in a circle to ensure nothing was lurking in the shadows. Once I saw that I was alone, I relaxed slightly and, raising a clammy hand to my brow, pushed my hair out of my eyes. _

_Then I blinked, and a woman was sitting in a chair, slowly rocking back and forth. I recognize her immediately. My hand reached up and clamped around the small, silver locket that hung from my neck._

"…_mum?" My voice sounded small. _

_The woman did not react. Godric, she was beautiful. Her hair was thick and shiny, her face full, her lips pulled into a faint smile. Suddenly, she turned, and her eyes, dark and wide, just like mine, found me in the wandlight. _

"_Hello, dear," she said softly. "Come closer."_

"_Mum is it…is it really you?" Hardly daring to believe it, I took one step forward. I was afraid that if I made any abrupt movements, she would disappear. _

_She laughed, a beautiful, melodic laugh, and I found myself grinning. "It's really me." There was a pause. Then, "you must have so many questions."_

_I moved closer. "I do. Mum I – people say there's another war coming, like before, a friend of mine was killed, and there's this Ministry worker-"_

_She raised a hand and I fell silent, the words dying on my tongue. "You've been so brave."_

"_Brave?" I laughed. "I-I'm scared of __**everything**__. I hate heights, the dark, small spaces, spiders, big dogs, the ocean. Even some people terrify me."_

_Her head tilted sideways, and her hair spilled over the arm rest of the rocking chair. "Fear is a trait of the courageous. All those who fear know what's out there and choose to live in spite of it. You're much stronger than you know. You have to use it."_

"_Use it? So it's true, you think there will be another-"_

_Before I could finish my sentence, her eyes went glassy and her mouth flew open, a piercing, almost unearthly wail protruding from her lips. My hands flew to my ears and I fell to the floor. "MUM! MUM, WHAT'S WRONG? MUM!"_

"_STOP, I BEG OF YOU, STOP! STOP THIS, STOP IT, PLEASE!" she sobbed, and her body began to convulse. She slipped from the chair so she lay directly in my line of vision, her beautiful hair now soiled by the dust and grime. "HELP ME, HELP ME FRANK, ALICE, PLEASE!"_

_I was crying now, the tears slipping down my nose and my throat clogging with the screams that I refused to release. "Mum, I'm here, I'm here Mum, please calm down, please!"_

_Another blink, and the scene shifted. Cedric lay in front of me, cold and unmoving, his eyes dull and his body stiff. _

_I fought the urge to retch and instead crawled forward. "C-Cedric?"_

_My wand nearly slipped from my grasp as I extended it. Ever so carefully, I moved the light from its tip towards the body on the ground. Those were his trainers all right, his pants, his jersey…_

_With a gasp, I fell backwards, dropping the wand. It rolled into a corner, plunging the room into darkness. I could've sworn…when I'd looked at his face…it had been-it had been George. _

_I dug my hands into my eyes furiously, blinking over and over again. "Wake up Prudence, wake up, come on, WAKE UP!"_

With a start, I flew back to the present. It was okay, everything was okay. That wasn't real. It was just a dream. A really, really bad dream. Panting, I released my fingers' stronghold on the sheets. The room was still and quiet, the only sound the steady breathing of Grace and Noel. As my eyes adjusted, I peered out of a small gap in my curtains; the moon was high in the sky, casting a pale glow across the scuffed floor.

From the way my body was shivering, I was apparently still being tormented by the nightmare. Though I had been having more and more dreams about Cedric lately, I hadn't _ever _had one about my mother, and this was the first time that George had made an appearance. I wondered what it all meant. I'd never really bought into the art of divination, but I'd have given anything for some information on dreams and the psyche. Perhaps the library…

With a shake of my head, I forced my thoughts away from the visions of Cedric and my mother. Had it really only been a few hours since the DA meeting had ended? I felt like the dream had pulled me all the way into next week.

When I'd shown up tonight with Noel, it had been fairly awkward. I'd been dreading the reaction, because I hated it when the focus was on me, and sure enough everyone stared. Lee, of course, had taken it in stride, happily snatching her up as a partner and showing her the ropes. Thankfully, no one had asked questions; after another moment we were practicing disarming our opponents as well as other spells such as 'diffindo' on dummies and targets.

George's sister Ginny turned out to be the best at the severing charm; she'd completely obliterated one of the test dummies, and the force of it blew everyone's hair back. Ron's face had been priceless. He'd been going on to Dean and Neville about how she wouldn't be able to do it, because no one else had done it yet, and she couldn't be the first.

Ron irritated me. I didn't really know him, and obviously he wouldn't be friends with Harry and Hermione if he was as cruel as I thought, but the few times I'd been around him I'd heard only obnoxious and judgmental comments. It especially annoyed me that he was so worried about his own self-confidence that he had to cast some of the shadow onto Ginny, who everyone knew was an extraordinary witch. Her Bat-Bogey hexes were downright terrifying.

The more I thought about it though…all the Weasleys had something extraordinary about them. Bill Weasley, whom I'd never gone to school with but knew much thanks to his shelf in the Trophy Room, had been a prefect and Head Boy during his time at Hogwarts. Professors still talked about him, and the prefects always aspired to best his legacy, which was still going strong after nearly six years.

Charlie had been the Gyffindor quidditch captain, and an amazing seeker. Some people claimed he could have gone on to play professionally, that he'd even been scouted during his time here. He shocked everyone by going to Romania to work with dragons, but that only added to his mysterious aura and showed his range as a wizard.

Then there was Percy. He'd graduated two years ago, the first year I was a prefect, and though he'd driven me absolutely crazy, there was no denying his brilliance and determination. I had no doubt that he would do whatever it took to secure himself a well-paying Ministry job. In fact, he was probably already well on his way.

The twins were… The twins were special. I'd never known anyone like them. Of course they were much about fun and games, but they were very capable wizards. While working on their products, they performed spells non-verbally that we had never learned in classes, spells I had never even heard of. They were everyone's friend. They understood the value of family and friendship more than almost anyone. I was so glad I was getting to know them, which is something I never would have said in a million years while Cedric was still around.

Last of the Weasley boys was Ron. Other than the fact that he got into a lot of trouble with Harry, all I knew was that he was insensitive and not too bright. He had a huge chip on his shoulder, probably ingrained with the letters B, C, P, F, and G. Might as well throw a couple of H's in there for good measure too. Even still…the way he'd spoken about me when I'd shown up to the first meeting made a small lick of anger ignite in my stomach.

With a sigh, I rolled over and squeezed my eyes shut tight, but I knew sleep would not come. I had the Weasleys on my mind, and, more specifically, George.

* * *

"There she is!" Fred cried when I made my way into McGonagall's classroom that afternoon.

I managed a small smile as I settled into my seat beside him with a yawn. "How are you?"

George wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Apparently better than you. Everything okay, love?"

I'd been a no-show at breakfast this morning. All night the images of my mother plagued me, until finally, around dawn, I'd dressed and slipped out of the dormitory without Grace or Noel so much as stirring. I'd waited outside of Sprout's office for nearly an hour when she finally showed up with an armful of Mimbulus Mimbletonium that needed some "TLC."

After fidgeting around in the small, earthy room for ten minutes, I had finally worked up the courage to ask her the question that had been on my mind for years. I'd asked her what happened to my mother.

To say Professor Sprout was surprised would be an understatement. With her bushy eyebrows and large brown eyes, she already had the look of constant shock mastered, but she truly looked taken aback.

"_I can't say I haven't been expecting something like this…I wondered all these years…but of course I figured you would go speak with Minerva – I mean, Professor McGonagall about this, not me," Sprout said._

"_McGonagall? Why?" _

_She gave me a look – it was a mixture of pity and sadness – and said, "because she was her Head of House of course, and her favorite student."_

Blinking, I drew away from George. "I'm fine. I just need to speak with McGonagall after class, so don't wait for me. Even Umbridge can't complain if I've a signed note from another professor, right?"

Noel snapped her compact mirror closed. "Why in the name of Merlin's beard do you need to talk to McGonagall?"

"Just about an assignment, okay?" I responded testily, dropping my bag onto the ground.

Fred made hissing noises like a cat and Lee feigned scratching the air with his hand in the shape of a claw, but I ignored them. It was clear that I was in a foul mood, and in no shape to respond to their jibes.

All throughout class George tried to cheer me up. He placed amusing drawings on my desk, whispered jokes in my ear, even vanished Miles Bletchley's chair at one point, resulting in a detention for him and five points from Gryffindor, but still I couldn't shake the irritation that lay beneath my skin. Why was it that when I finally went looking for answers, I only received more questions?

I don't know why I had never asked any of the teachers about my mother before, because of course they taught her. It wasn't so long ago that she was a student here. But why hadn't any of _them _sought _me_ out? No one had ever so much as told me I looked like her, let alone that she'd been favorited. My mother, McGonagall's top pick…

McGonagall was a professor who was fair, and if she had favorites she most certainly didn't show it. She had a soft spot for Harry, that was definitive, but she punished him for things just the same. Still…my mother was in the same boat as Harry on this one. It must be a small group, McGonagall's favorites.

But all the professors knew who my mother was; every student had a record with the school, which included immediate family. They all knew what happened to her, but no one ever spoke of it. None of them had so much as hinted that I was anything like her. Of course, I wasn't. She was a Gryffindor, so brave and beautiful. She had been an auror, probably one of the best of the department. Me, I was scared of my own shadow, and had gone six years with only one friend.

I remained glued to my seat as the bell rang, ignoring George's backward glances, and instead focused on the aging witch in front of me.

"Can I assist you with something, Miss Turner?" McGonagall looked at me from over the rims of her glasses.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to hold eye contact. "Yes, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me about my mother, Natalia Dupre."

If McGonagall was surprised like Professor Sprout, she didn't show it. "You do realize, Miss Turner, that I can only tell you about her school days. I think, perhaps, if there's other information you seek, I'd better set up an appointment with the Headmaster."

"Professor Dumbledore? Really?" My heart beat faster just thinking about it. Did he know about the night of the raid? Did he know how it happened? Who had done it? Who had cast the spell?

She gave a curt nod. "Yes. I will send word when I can confirm the meeting. For now, why don't you stop by my office after classes are over. And here, take this to Professor Umbridge. I dare say she'd be upset if you showed up without a note."

There was a faint look of sourness on her face, and with a secretive grin, I thanked her and left for the fifth floor.

* * *

"I hate that woman more and more every day!" I stormed out of the DADA classroom an hour later, stomping down the corridor. A small cluster of Ravenclaws scattered as I moved past them, my arms swinging furiously.

"Oi, Turner! You left half your things behind!" George called, chasing after me. He caught up as I rounded the corner, unfortunately making it onto the stairs before they began to change. Normally I would be stuck to the railing, to afraid to move, as I still hadn't gotten used to them after all these years, but I was too mad to care.

With a sigh, I accepted my parchment, book, and quill from him. "Thanks. I just can't believe she docked 5 points from Hufflepuff. I had a _signed _note from McGonagall explaining my tardiness! She's an evil, vindictive, malicious toad!"

"You know, I've never seen you this angry," he remarked casually, leaning against the bannister as the staircase slowly connected to the floor below.

Pinching the bridge of my nose in exasperation, I stepped onto the small platform. "Well now we're even. You did just beat the sod out of Malfoy three days ago."

George flexed his left hand, making the scars stand out against his pale skin. "Don't remind me."

"Okay, I won't. Look, I've got to go meet with McGonagall – _not _about Umbridge – and I'll probably be eating dinner in the kitchens, so see you in the Astronomy Tower at 9?" I asked, walking backwards.

He waved me off, no doubt headed off to a detention, and I made my way back to McGonagall's classroom. Her class of fourth years was just being dismissed as I arrived, and I offered Luna and Ginny both a nod as I moved past them into the office.

"Professor?" I called with a knock on the door.

She glanced up from the stack of papers she was sifting through. "Ah, yes. Come in, Miss Turner. Have a biscuit."

Slightly startled, I reached into the proferred tin and took out a small, ginger cookie. "Thank you."

"Now." McGonagall sat back squarely in her chair, eyeing me with such conviction that the cookie sat still in my hand. I didn't dare eat it when I was being watched so closely. "Your mother was a fine student, Miss Turner, one of her year's best."

"Was she a prefect, like me?" I asked, somewhat shyly.

"She was," McGonagall nodded. "I recommended her to the Headmaster for the position of Head Girl as well, but he decided, in the end, to go with Marinella Smedgewick."

We sat quietly for a moment as I tried to formulate another question.

McGonagall broke the silence. "What exactly do you know about your mother, Miss Turner?"

"Erm…" I squirmed slightly under her gaze. The ginger coating on the biscuit was sticking to my clammy hand. "Well, I know she was a Gryffindor. And you just said she was a prefect. She became an auror after graduation, and went on a raid one night in 1981 when I was three. She came back...different. I also know that she used to ice skate, and that she was, er, really good at doing her hair," I finished weakly.

There was another pause as she observed me. "Your mother was one of the best students I ever taught. She was quick. She learned fast and worked intelligently. Nearly everyone liked her; she even had several acquaintances in Slytherin House, which as I'm sure you know is very rare, especially in a time of war."

"Her friends…who were her friends?" I asked.

"Let's see…the closest to her I think was Amelia Bones. She was a Hufflepuff, but the two were always together. They even liked to pin their hair up the same. From the back you couldn't tell who was who." McGonagall's eyes went slightly glassy as she thought back twenty years. "She was also close with two twins, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who unfortunately both perished in the war."

I allowed the information to sink in. So my mother was best friends with someone from my house…and also with two boys who were twins? I was much more similar to her than I thought. "Did she by any chance like to read? We've got tons of books at home, but most of them belong to my father."

At the mention of him, I drew my left wrist closer to my body.

"Oh, yes. It was the only thing she ever got in trouble for. She would switch the covers between her textbooks and her library books and would read during class. I remember in her third year it was particularly hard to tear her away from a Muggle book by an author called Lee Harper."

"To Kill a Mockingbird?" I breathed. The biscuit had been reduced to crumbs in my palm.

She nodded slowly. "That's the one. An excellent read, if I do say so myself. Now, is there anything else you wish to know?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No, thank you, that was – that was very helpful. Thank you," I repeated, rising from my chair and shutting the door behind me.

As quickly as I could, I walked to the library, making a beeline for the genealogy section. It took Madame Pince nearly ten minutes to sign everything out; she did everything by hand when a simple spell would do, and was so old that her hands shook too much for her to write steadily.

Finally, with the three books in my grasp, I barreled out of the library and into the kitchens, where I set everything down onto a table in the corner. I picked up the thickest book, assuming it would have the most information, and blew the dust off the cover.

Immediately I skipped to the index. My finger trailed down the page. "Prewett, Prewett…" I whispered to myself. "Aha!"

I glanced up briefly to thank the house elf who placed a butterbeer in front of me, then turned eagerly to page 789.

_The Prewetts are a predominantly known pureblood family from the northern side of England. They are one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight (see page 103). Known members of the 20__th__ century are Mr. and Mrs. Ignatius Prewett, their three children, twins Fabian, Gideon, and daughter Molly, sister Muriel, and cousin Bilius. _

_The Prewett family has become extinct in the male line with the deaths of both Fabian and Gideon during the Great Wizarding War, but is continued on through Molly Weasley neé Prewett (642)._

My hands gripped the table so hard that my knuckles began to turn white, and 'I must not disrupt the class' popped out against my nearly translucent skin. My mother had been best friends with George's uncles.

Fabian and Gideon… I flipped to the next page so enthusiastically that I nearly tore it, and I had to remind myself to be careful.

_Fabian and Gideon Prewett were both killed in March of 1981, during an attempted take down of a known Death Eater hideout. Both were prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization created by Albus Dumbledore (395) that was aimed towards defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers. _

I slammed the book closed, startling several of the nearby house elves. Blushing, I apologized, and sat staring into the fire while I gathered my thoughts. My mother had three best friends, all of whom she met at Hogwarts. Two of them had been in the Order of the Phoenix, and had perished around the same time she had become incapacitated. Did that mean that my mother had also been in the Order? That she'd lost her mind the same time she lost her best friends? She was McGonagall's favorite student…was she one of Dumbledore's? He must have known her personally. Would he tell me what he knew?

If Dumbledore was so adamant that You-Know-Who was back, did that mean the Order was back as well? Was he looking for people to join? Was there anyone from the original Order left?

A look at the clock told me it was nearly time for my rounds with Gemma, but I longed to delve deeper into the books. I wanted to see if my mother was in there, if she was in the Order too, I wanted to read about Amelia Bones…I wanted to know everything.

Reluctantly, I placed the books carefully into my satchel and headed out of the kitchens and into the Entrance Hall. Happily, I noted that Gemma was not yet there, and I once again dragged the book out, skimming through it to the 'D' section.

"Duncan, Dunham…" I muttered to myself. Frowning, I flipped the page. "Durant, Duval, Dwerryhouse."

She wasn't in there.

"Why so glum, sugarplum?"

Gemma Farley was walking, no, strutting, towards me. She, like Noel, found it appropriate to wear high heels with her uniform, and somehow managed to walk smoothly across the uneven stone flooring. Her dark hair was slicked back into a high ponytail that swung behind her, and her robes were velvet with silver trim. They were obviously expensive, and tailored to fit her body perfectly.

I shifted uncomfortably as I tucked the genealogy book away. My robes had long since disappeared into my bag, leaving me in my lint-covered sweater, wrinkled oxford skirt, and tweed skirt. My hair was probably frizzy and bedraggled, and the zit that I had covered up with a dab of foundation that morning had more than likely evaporated as the day had passed. I felt incredibly inadequate.

"Do you always ignore someone when they ask you a question?" she asked with a raised brow.

"No, sorry, I was just doing some, erm, light reading." Cheeks flushed, both from my lie and from my embarrassment, I led the way up the staircase, eager to get out of the bright lighting.

After a moment, I could hear her footsteps behind me, accentuated by her heels. "So, you're Prudence Turner, right?"

I wiped my clammy hands on my skirt before looking at her. "That would be me."

"And you're a half-blood?"

"What if I told you I was a filthy Mudblood?" I asked sharply.

Gemma blinked and held up her hands in surrender. "Look, I wasn't asking like that, okay? Malfoy was talking about your mother the other day, and I was just curious."

"Are your parents Death Eaters?" She had the grace to slightly shamed as I eyed her coldly.

"I realize how terrible that question sounded," Gemma admitted. "Sorry."

I chewed my lip. "It's okay," I said after a small pause.

We walked for a while, patrolling the corridors of the third and fourth floors to the best of our abilities with little talk between us. "I'm half too, you know," she spoke conversationally. I was startled by the sound of her voice; I'd quite gotten used to hearing only the clacking of her heels.

"Really?" I hadn't heard of very many half-blood Slytherins; of course there were probably very many, as purebloods were dying out, but no one ever went around admitting it. "Mum or dad?"

"My dad," she admitted. "But he could give a sod about all this bloodline shit. He runs an independent robeswear store out of France. Does all the Beauxbatons uniforms."

Well, this certainly explained her fancy robes. "So do you live in France, then?"

"Oui, mon Cherie." Her tone was bitter.

"You don't like it there?" I asked, but she held up a hand.

With an eye roll that reminded me of Noel, she blasted open the door to a broom closet. Inside were Grace and Martin, who were locked in a smothering sort of embrace. They looked like two snakes trying to mate.

Gemma glanced to me. "What do you think, ten points each?"

"Sounds fair," I agreed casually. I didn't even care that it was my own house; I was too disturbed.

Grace touched up her smudged lipstick. "So first you claim to be Dumbledore's little warrior, now you're running around with Slytherin scum and docking points from your own house? You don't know anything except how to be a traitor, it seems."

"Grace-" Martin started, but Gemma cut him off.

"This 'Slytherin scum' is a prefect, much higher up in class ranking than you. Same goes for Prudence here; I really don't think you're in any position to judge. Your biggest accomplishment to this school is the number of boys you've turned to men in broom closets and empty classrooms. Hey, that could go on your resume for your cushy Ministry job! I'm sure Umbridge would love to endorse that," she said in a sickly sweet tone.

My lips twitched as Grace stepped forward. She was at least three inches shorter than the Slytherin, but most certainly wasn't afraid. "You're nothing but a hag, Farley. You're just jealous because none of the guys here will touch you. Your own house won't come near you because they think your blood's too dirty, and everyone else avoids you at all costs because of how proudly you wear the color green," Grace breathed.

My jaw dropped open. I'd known Grace was vain, catty, and rude, but this was just…this was cruel.

"You'd best clear off before I report you and dock more points," was all Gemma said, her voice quiet. Her confident demeanor was disappearing fast.

With a satisfied smirk, Grace stepped back, straightened out her shirt, and turned on her heel, sashaying down the corridor. With an apologetic shrug, Martin followed after her, and I kept a cold glare trained on their backs until they rounded the corner.

"Are you okay?" I asked, somewhat awkwardly. I never knew what to do in these situations, though I felt I should say something.

"I'm fine," she said with a faux smile. Her eyes were sad. "I hear things like that on a daily basis."

I had no choice but to head after her, as she had already begun stalking down the hall to finish our route. "It's not true, you know. Your blood isn't dirty and I know there are tons of guys here who would love to date you."

"Name one that would actually want to "date" me. I know there are plenty who would shag me; I know even more who would shag me and then spit on me for being a filthy half-breed."

My stomach contracted in guilt. I'd never spoken to Gemma prior to this year, and we'd been prefects together this entire time. I had noticed her sitting quietly by herself in meetings, not speaking to Montague, Malfoy, Greengrass, or any of the other Slytherin prefects, and I had also noticed the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors giving her the cold shoulder time and time again. I'd done nothing, said nothing.

I don't know what made me say it, but I just knew I wanted to take her mind off of the confrontation. "My mother was a Gryffindor, you know. She had friends in Slytherin."

Gemma turned around in surprise. "Wait, really? But this must've been…what? The late seventies? That was the height of the war."

"I know. McGonagall just told me today, actually. You're the first person I've told about it," I admitted timidly.

Her dark eyes scanned my face for a moment. "You're all right, Turner. One of the only decent people I've come across in seventeen years."

"You can't have met many people then." Shyly, I glanced sideways at her as we took the main staircase back down to the ground floor.

"Thing is, I have," she replied, and I trailed after her in silence, the echo from her shoes filling the quiet of the night.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you liked the lastest installment of Prudence and co., and hope you all had a marvelous weekend! Sorry for the wait, school's been hectic, but as of this Friday I will be off a week for Spring Break, so expect updates! Up next: a meeting with the Headmaster, a late night rendezvous, secrets are revealed, and what's this? A snowball fight? Stay tuned!**


	11. The Truth

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Fred, if you try and look at my star chart one more time, I'm going to glue you to the outside of this tower," I threatened from behind my telescope.

"How can you even see me?" he exclaimed, skulking back over to his own work.

Lee roared with laughter, and I peered down at his parchment. "You realize Venus won't be in view for another six months, right?"

Now it was George's turn to gloat; unfortunately, everything he had written down was correct.

"So," Fred tried again. "How were your rounds with that Slytherin? Better or worse than it would have been with Kenneth, do you reckon?"

I scowled. "'That Slytherin' is named Gemma, and I'll have you know she's actually very friendly."

Lee snorted. "A Slytherin, friendly? Right."

"And just how many Slytherins have you had actual conversations with?" I rounded on him, hands on my hips.

"Are you sure she hasn't met our mother?" I heard George whisper to Fred, but I ignored them.

With a shake of his head, Lee set down his chart. "Prudence, you don't get it. You don't have to talk to them to know they're nasty. Rotten to the core, the lot of them. Raised by Death Eaters. Their brains are molded to the agenda of seriously evil wizards."

I was shaking with fury, but tried to remain calm lest jokes about my sanity came about. "Not every Slytherin was raised under a Death Eater. They're not all evil, just like not all Gryffindors are good. There have been students from Gryffindor house who have gone on to do very questionable things, and we all know it."

"Just be careful is all I'm saying," Lee cautioned, despite George's gestures for him to stop.

"Gemma's a half-blood, and her father owns a robeswear shop; that's hardly grounds for calling her evil. Besides, my mother was a Gryffindor, and she was friends with Slytherins in a time of the war." I tossed my hair back in a Noel-esque fashion.

"Prudence, we're in a time of war too," George said quietly.

I turned back to my telescope. "Then shouldn't we be standing together?"

* * *

November passed slowly. Due to an increase of quidditch practices – mainly the Gryffindors, who had to try out three new players and rebuild their team – there had been no more DA meetings, and Noel was anxious for more.

"I just want to learn more spells to use on Umbridge when I graduate! She won't be able to punish me!" she would say innocently with a bat of her eyes. I could see Lee's lovesick expression in my mind.

Grace had been even more insufferable as of late. She had finally ensnared Martin in her master plan to stick it to Noel, but her plan backfired. Noel had stopped being interested in the quidditch captain long ago, and now Grace was stuck in a relationship with someone whose idea of a good time was getting plastered and spouting off quidditch statistics.

"For you, Prudence," came from behind me, and I turned around at the Gryffindor table to see Luna holding out a scroll for me.

"Hi Luna, thanks!" I took the parchment from her, examining a strand of corks hanging down her robes. "Er, cool necklace."

Lee choked on his eggs, and Noel thumped him on the back with a roll of her eyes. "Ooh, thank you. I collect the bottles too!" she said brightly, and wandered away.

"Loony, that one," George said with a shake of his head.

I returned to my newspaper. "I like her. She's sweet."

Fred slurped his pumpkin juice, and Angelina gave him a look of disgust from down the table. "First a Slytherin, now Loony Lovegood? Are we not good enough for you, Prudence?"

"If someone makes another mention about who I choose to speak with, they will find this sausage up one or both nostrils, I haven't yet decided," I grumbled, rustling my paper and putting it up in front of my face.

"We just miss you is all!" George said, charming the Prophet to be translucent so I could see his face. He waggled his brows.

Lee tore his attention away from Noel, who was scrawling hastily on a roll of parchment like her life depended on it. "Yeah, you haven't tested any products in weeks. What have you been doing, hanging out in the dungeons?"

"Do you lot even _care _about things that exist outside of your little sphere of oblivion? Look at this paper! It has an entire article praising Umbridge for what she's been doing here! And now they're trying to get Harry's case reopened," I remarked, smoothing it down on the table in front of me.

"What?!"

Ron, who was sitting several seats down, knocked his ketchup-covered knife off the table, where it went skidding along the floor until it reached the feet of a tiny Ravenclaw.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly Ronald, it's a miracle you haven't seriously hurt someone. And if you'd been listening to me when I told you about that article ten minutes ago instead of stuffing your face, you wouldn't be so surprised."

"Is that why Harry's not here?" he asked thickly, swallowing the mass amount of food in his mouth.

"Oh for Pete's sake," I muttered under my breath.

George raised a brow. "Are you having issues with my brother?"

Flushing, I took a long sip of my tea. "Absolutely not."

"It's okay, he irritates us too!" Fred said, to which Ron responded with a very rude hand gesture.

George leaned in. "Hey, with six siblings, you can't like them all."

"Who else don't you like?" I asked in interest.

The duo exchanged a dark glance. "We don't speak of Percy the Puffheaded Piss-stain," Fred answered.

Even Noel glanced up at this. "Christ, he must have done something bad for the two of you to be this upset about it."

"He believes Fudge," Lee explained, while the twins were still glaring down at their plates.

Huh. I hadn't known that, although with Percy's love for authority I suppose I should have gathered. And since Fred and George had the utmost faith in Harry, it was clear what choice they would make. Wow. I wondered what it must have been like when this all came to fruition. If I had a sibling, I couldn't imagine what I would've done if he or she suddenly abandoned me.

"Who's that scroll from?" Noel asked, and I looked down at it in shock.

"Oh, I don't know…" I murmured, hastily opening it.

_Miss Turner,_

_Professor McGonagall has informed me of your conversation, and it is my wish that you should meet me tonight at 8 o'clock in my office, if that is convenient for you._

_Yours most sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. I enjoy Fudge Flies_

George, who had been reading nosily over my shoulder, blinked. "Dumbledore requested a meeting with you? He's never even done that for us!"

"Yeah, and we've broken more school rules than everyone else here combined!" Fred pouted indignantly.

"Some things are more important than pranks," I reminded them tersely, tucking the scroll and paper away in my satchel. "Come on Lee, it's potions today."

* * *

I was so completely distracted in Snape's class that I added lacewing flies before I stirred clockwise three times, and the Saliva-Inducing Solution I was brewing became so thick that it congealed heavily in the cauldron.

"No, no, no!" I moaned to myself, hastily dragging my book towards me to see if there were any instructions on how to fix it.

Biting on my lips, I stared at the unicorn horn shavings in front of me. They were typically used for thinning out potions, because their magical properties were so concentrated…perhaps…

Furtively looking around, I dumped a small scoop into my cauldron. I waited anxiously, until a small bubble expanded and popped. Suddenly, all the air in it seemed to evaporate, and I was left with a soup-like brew.

I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding, and continued down the ingredients list, double checking every instruction three times. When the bell rang, I corked a small vial of my solution and brought it up to Snape's desk for grading.

He observed it for a moment. "This looks much more potent…did you add an extra item? Perhaps a shrivelfig, or boomslang skin?"

"No Sir…I added my lacewing flies too early and I needed to thin it out so I-I put in some unicorn horn shavings." I said this all in one breath, cringing slightly at the end.

His obsidian eyes glittered maliciously. "If you had even the slightest clue what the theorem behind this particular potion was, you would know that any added ingredient would, instead of creating saliva, suck out all the bodily fluids, effectively killing the taker. You'll be receiving a Dreadful."

A Dreadful? I'd never gotten anything below an Acceptable in my entire life! "Sir, please. If I brew this again, tonight, and bring it to you tomorrow, will you consider raising my grade one letter?"

Montague snorted loudly from behind me, and Martin gave me a pitying look.

"I do not take late assignments for any type of grading. However, if you would find it…prudent…you may bring a new solution to me by tomorrow morning and I will take it into consideration for your overall classroom average," he said finally.

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Yes, yes, thank you Professor!"

Before he could change his mind, I grabbed my satchel, shouldered it, and walked quickly from the room, feeling oddly triumphant.

* * *

"Prudence, for Merlin's sake just go to your meeting!" Noel exclaimed as I sighed and tossed my book down for the tenth time.

I'd gone to the library after classes and found myself completely incapable of concentrating on work. After an hour of staring at my textbooks blankly, I'd gone to the kitchens for some tea to help calm my nerves. When that hadn't worked, I'd tried to have an in-depth conversation about the differences between wizard magic and elf magic with a house elf named Dobby, who was strangely enough wearing socks over his ears.

When that had also failed to decrease my anxiety, I'd returned to my room, where I'd wandered around in circles until Noel had gotten so irritated that she offered to teach me beauty techniques. Figuring that this would hold my attention due to the fact that it was something I knew nothing about, I had agreed. After stabbing myself in the eye several times and I'd been forced to apply a sticky glue to my skin which had left it with a slightly orange tinge, I'd put an end to the session and begun to read one of the books about genealogy from the library, but even this failed to pique my interest.

"I'm sorry, but I've never had a personal conversation with the Headmaster before!" I snapped, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes in frustration.

I'd only ever seen Professor Dumbledore in the Great Hall at meal times. He didn't exactly walk around looking in on our classes. He was the greatest sorcerer of all time – he'd accomplished more than 90% of the wizarding population by the time he graduated Hogwarts. He had obligations that kept him locked up in his office. I suspected he was often away from the school as well, tending to matters that far surpassed the duties of school leader.

Then there was something to be said for the content of our conversation. He wouldn't be meeting with me if he didn't have anything to say, right? So that meant that he knew something about my mother. A shiver ran down my spine and with a jolt, I stood.

"Okay, I'm going to go." My voice was terse and my fingers shook.

"Prudence, relax. He's Dumbledore, not an axe murderer," Noel said drily, blowing on her freshly painted nail. She spent more time putting polish on than studying, and still she got the same grades as me.

Straightening out my collar, I nodded. "Right."

I'd had to ask Harry Potter where Dumbledore's office was when I'd seen him as classes let out earlier today. I supposed its location wasn't really a secret, but only those who had been there knew where it was, and until now I'd never had a reason to seek out the Headmaster.

It was a relatively short walk, as it was only on the second floor, and I followed Harry's instructions until I came across a grotesque looking gargoyle, whose spiked tail, though made of stone, looked like it was ready to lash out should I attempt to pass.

"Password?" it asked smoothly.

"Er-Fudge Flies." I had also asked Harry what Dumbledore's post scriptum meant, and had been told that was how he hinted what his password was. It was almost always a type of candy, apparently. Dumbledore was a strange man. A very brilliant, strange man.

The gargoyle sprung sideways as a spiral staircase began to rise right out of the floor. Timidly, I stepped on, and it took me to the top of a tower I had never known existed. Could I even see it from outside? With everything shaking, I reached out a pale knuckle and rapped on the door.

"Enter."

The door swung open, and I was overwhelmed by the surprising size of the room before me. It was circular, and full of things I had never seen before, at least not in person. There were hardly any real walls; they were mainly bookshelves, most of which had titles in languages I could not determine. It was cluttered with tables supported by strange, spindly legs that held tiny gadgets that made odd noises.

On the small stretches of wall that did not contain books, there were portraits of witches and wizards whom I assumed were previous Headmasters. Most of them were dozing off, nightcaps adorning their heads, but some were watching me. Goosebumps rose against my skin.

"Ah, Miss Turner. I am delighted that we finally have the chance to speak in person," Dumbledore said from his position behind a large desk that was covered in papers and books.

Noticing my gaze, he smiled. "It does get rather hectic running a school sometimes, I'm afraid."

"Yes sir, I would imagine so," I spoke, my voice quiet. I felt out of my element in a room where nothing quite seemed to have a place.

His sharp, blue eyes found mine. "Please, have a seat."

I followed his instructions and wiped my palms against my skirt. My throat felt scratchy.

There was a pause as he scrawled something on a slip of parchment. "Professor McGonagall informed me that you were seeking information about your mother."

"Yes sir, it's just that…" I froze. I couldn't tell him what had struck my research. If he knew I was breaking school rules, for a club we named _Dumbledore's Army, _which was completely insulting the entire Ministry, surely I'd be in trouble. "Well you see, I had a dream the other night."

"Oh?" he folded his hands neatly onto his desk. "I have found that dreams have often times led me quite astray. Once I dreamt that I would find the secret to immortality if I followed a house elf named Hanky to America. Of course, dreams can also be indicators of our futures. May I inquire as to what yours was about?"

Blinking, I wondered how much I should tell him. "Several nights ago, I dreamt about…about the Triwizard Tournament." He looked unsurprised, but said nothing, so I continued. "I saw Cedric Diggory. He was at the mercy of a wizard wearing a metal mask. They couldn't hear me, so I watched. Until- until the masked wizard killed him.

"As soon as that happened, everything changed, and I was in a room with my mother. It was dark, but I could tell it was her. She looked normal though. Nothing like she does now." I looked down at my lap.

"Did she say anything to you?" I glanced up quizzically. Surely he didn't know about my dream. He couldn't…right?

I had to force the words out. "She was telling me about how brave I was. She mentioned- Well Sir, I think she was speaking about another war. But there's not going to be another war, is there?"

We observed each other for a moment. "Miss Turner, I don't think you would have come to speak with me if you merely wanted to know about your mother."

One of the portraits sniffed and I jumped in my seat. "Professor Dumbledore, I know that you started an organization in the 1970s, one that fought the Death Eaters."

"I did, yes. Many, many years ago," he said sagely. He peered down at me over his crescent moon-shaped glasses.

I felt oddly like my brain was being examined. "I've read about it…many of the people who joined were aurors, or were affiliated with the auror department. And I found out that two of my mother's best friends from school, the Prewett boys, were in it, and they died around the same time that my mother was cursed."

He said nothing. "So…so…was my mother a part of your group? Did she fight against You-Know-Who? Is that how she ended up…losing her mind?"

"Voldemort's rise to power took many great witches and wizards before their times. Many Muggles as well. Those who were brave enough risked their lives every day to fight for justice, and an end to the stigma against the non-magical." Dumbledore sounded like a salesman, although his face showed weariness and exhaustion.

"Your mother was very brave. She was one of the finest witches to pass through this school. Which is why, when she came to me one night shortly after graduation, I extended an invitation to her to join my new society, the Order of the Phoenix."

He paused, probably to allow me to process his words. They settled over me like a blanket, thick and heavy. Of course I'd begun to suspect, but to hear it from Dumbledore himself was something entirely different. My mother had been so courageous. The epitome of Gryffindor House.

"Professor, in my dream, my mother was screaming for help. She yelled for two people in particular, Frank and Alice. I mean, I know it was only a dream, but were there any people in the Order of the Phoenix with those names?" I felt like I was grasping at straws.

"There were. They were aurors as well, though they were several years younger than your mother, and less experienced. One night shortly after the downfall of Voldemort, I received information of a Death Eater base on the outskirts of London, and when I brought this evidence to the Order the both of them volunteered immediately."

I edged forward on my chair slightly. Several of the witches and wizards were doing the same in their portraits. "Of course, being inexperienced, I was less than eager to send them into London alone, especially if this were to be a trap. I asked your mother to assist them. We gathered more knowledge and details for the next two days, but we were pressed for time and we had to move quickly, as more and more Death Eaters were going into hiding and we didn't want to lose our chance.

"The three of them made it into the building safely; we'd come to learn later that it was the home of a man named Bartemius Crouch, Junior. The man who had gathered this intelligence for us had done well, but even he could not have known about all of the protection charms that were placed on the inner rooms. You see, his home was like a maze, or a labyrinth."

My stomach churned. Perhaps the maze from my dream was not meant for Cedric. It may have been meant for my mother.

His eyes darkened slightly. "There came a room where the three became trapped upon entering, and it set off an alarm to all those who were living there. It was not Bartemius Crouch who found them, but another Death Eater, a woman by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange, and her husband Rodolphus."

"Oh my God…" I whispered. I fought back the bile that was rising in my throat.

"Bellatrix thought they might have information about her master. You see, she did not believe him to be dead. She wanted to find out what they knew, but in her eagerness, she overestimated the strength of the human psyche." Dumbledore stopped for a moment to assess me before continuing. "By the time the rest of the Order got there, it was too late. For all intents and purposes, their minds were gone."

My eyes squeezed tightly shut and I hunched over to prevent my nausea from overtaking me. "But Sir," I managed. "Sometimes, I mean only a few times, but it's happened – sometimes, she knows who I am. She's lucid."

"Yes…" Dumbledore trailed off, his gaze falling towards the left, where one of the small, silver devices gave off a puff of purple smoke. "Every person reacts to the Cruciatus Curse very differently. Your mother was a fighter by nature, and she may have been able to resist slightly longer than the Longbottoms. But I shouldn't like to get your hopes up; she may very well be like this forever."

I ignored his stern look, my brow furrowing. "The Longbottoms? Does that mean-"

"I am afraid, Miss Turner, that you are not the only student at this school who lost a parent that night."

The Headmaster suddenly looked very old. Dumbledore's collected exterior and serene smile typically made him look much younger, and had always made me feel safer, knowing that he wasn't worried. But right now, he looked like he'd lived through a thousand battles.

Neville. It all made sense now. How he always talked about his grandmother, but no one knew anything about his parents. His parents who had fought alongside my mother, essentially died alongside my mother. In the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's personal organization. Where were they now? But from the look on Dumbledore's face, I knew now was not the time to ask.

"Sir?" I spoke up, and he inclined his head. "If you started the Order of the Phoenix when You-Know-Who came to power, and now you say he's back, does that mean that you'll be starting another Order?"

He chuckled. "I think it's safe to say that there will always be witches and wizards willing to fight on the side of equality, yes."

I chewed on my lip. I clenched and unclenched my hands, the scars on my left hand stretching each time. A clock on the wall behind me ticked slowly as an elderly woman with a polka-dotted nightgown sniffed. "I'd like to join."

"Miss Turner, surely you must be aware that I cannot place the students of my school in such danger," he said, his voice unexpectedly firm.

"When I graduate then, like my mother," I said eagerly, looking him properly in the eye for the first time since I'd stepped foot in the office.

I expected him to say no. What would he want with a Hufflepuff who had barely spoken to anyone for six years and was scared of her own shadow? "If, after you graduate, you still find yourself wishing to follow in your mother's footsteps, then I should be glad to have you."

"Thank you, Sir." Surprised, I rose, straightening my skirt.

As I turned and headed for the door, he stopped me. "Miss Turner."

"Yes Professor?"

He was silent for a moment. "I would expect any member of the Order to be able to call Voldemort by his true identity. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

I nodded. "Of course, Sir."

* * *

I was the last one back into the dormitory that night. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, yanked on a pair of pajamas, and closed my hangings without a word to either of them. My mother had gone out fighting Death Eaters, next to Frank and Alice Longbottom. She'd been sent to protect them. She was brave, and a real leader. Maybe I could be one, too. My fingers clamped around the locket, and the steady beat of my heart soon matched my breathing as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling oddly refreshed. I'd had my first nightmare-free sleep in weeks. I leapt out of bed and scrambled into the bathroom before Grace could claim it for two hours. I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror, and I was startled to see the resemblance between my reflection and the woman who had been in my dream.

I'd never gotten the chance to see my mother whole and healthy - I'd only seen her in photographs. I got most of my appearance from her, except for the freckles; those were my dad's, from the Welsh side of my family.

My hair had grown, and it cascaded down my back in dark waves. My eyes, a deep shade of hazel, looked back at me without the fear that had been living in my heart since the age of three. Knowing what had happened to my mother, knowing how and why, knowing that there had been people out there protecting the public and that she had been one of them…it was strangely liberating.

After I showered, I curled up on my bed with the genealogy book and stared at the family trees of the Prewett and Weasley families as I waited for Noel.

It was getting harder to deny the parallels between my mother's life at Hogwarts and my own. Her friends had been mixed between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. She had befriended two redheaded twins who happened to be Fred and George's uncles. She was a prefect. Her favorite book was my own, To Kill a Mockingbird, and she'd gotten in trouble for reading it in class. She'd even been friendly with some Slytherins, and the other night I had found myself enamored with Gemma.

"Are you ready to go? I'm starving," Noel announced as she pulled back my curtains.

I slid the book into my satchel and stuck my feet into my shoes. "I've been waiting for you for thirty minutes you bint."

"Someone's sassy this morning," she replied with an eye roll, and we set off for the Great Hall.

We were surpassed by a cluster of younger Hufflepuffs on our way through the Entrance Hall. "It's snowing!" one of them cried, and upon passing through the doorway and looking up at the enchanted ceiling, it appeared he was right.

"Phwoar, there must've been a blizzard overnight." Noel looked disenchanted at her words.

With a shrug, I walked over to where Lee and the twins were already digging into breakfast, and I snagged a cube of melon off of George's plate. "Anyone up for a snowball fight?"

"Hello? Prudence? Are you in there?" Fred made a big show out of knocking on my head and yelling into my ear. Noel snorted into her porridge.

"Oh shut up," I said, shoving him towards Lee. "It's a Saturday, and it's the first snow of the season. I love the snow."

Cedric and I had once taken a walk in the snow, in our fifth year. I'd dared him to walk out onto the frozen lake; of course he'd done it.

"If it's a snowball fight you want, then a snowball fight you shall have," George declared gallantly.

"Count me out," Noel drawled.

Lee looked alarmed. "No, you have to go!"

All three of us stared at him. "Why?" Noel asked slowly.

"Because we can't have Prudence all by herself on a team, can we?"

George raised a brow. "I was going to be on Prudence's team."

"See? It's all settled," Noel declared, returning to her breakfast.

"_No, _it's not. Everyone knows it's supposed to be boys against girls in snowball fights." Lee folded his arms across his chest and nodded confidently.

At this, both Fred and George exchanged a glance and leaned in close to their friend. "Lee, mate," Fred started.

"You really need to get laid!" George finished, and the duo high-fived over Lee's head.

With a sigh, I set my spoon down. "Noel, you're coming. Lee, stop acting weird. Fred and George, please stop celebrating like you've accomplished something, your eggs are about to run off your plates."

"You're so bossy this morning," Fred pouted, his fork catching his egg yolks just in time to stop them falling into his lap.

"I like it," George winked.

* * *

"This is so bloody stupid." Noel wrapped her arms more tightly around herself as the wind whipped her hair out behind her.

I rolled my eyes. "Noel, you wouldn't be this cold if you weren't dressed like you were about to walk the runway."

When we'd returned to our dormitories to get ready for the snowball fight, I'd discovered that aside from her black wool cloak, Noel did not own any actual winter clothing. I was wearing a thick fleece underneath my jacket, a pair of long underwear beneath my pants, and a pair of rubber Wellingtons. I also had thick gloves, a hat capped over my ears, and a scarf wound up to my eyes. Just because I liked the snow didn't mean I enjoyed being cold.

"Well excuse me for never partaking in something so juvenile as tossing snow at someone's face," she hissed.

The boys were well ahead of us. They, unlike Noel, were quite excited by the prospect of the fight. They were running around like a pack of dogs, trying to stuff snow down one another's pants.

"OI, HOW ABOUT HERE?" Fred called, and I gave him the thumbs up.

"Come on, I want to start!" I grabbed Noel's wrist and forced her to run, her complaining about her designer boots all the while.

The two of us squared off against the twins and Lee, who was eyeing us intimidatingly. Or at least, what he thought was intimidating.

"Okay, we each get fifteen minutes to make our own forts. At the fifteen minute mark, George will whistle to signal we're starting. After that, there's no rules," Fred declared. The trio crossed their arms.

The chill of the air stung my exposed cheeks, but I forced myself to step forward. "You're on." I shook Fred's hand. He gave me a suspicious smile.

"Ready…go!" Lee yelled, and we all sprinted in different directions.

"Noel, over here, hurry!" I waved her over frantically, and with a roll of her eyes, she lightly jogged to where I was standing. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking. We build a fort around this tree; it'll be completely circular so we can move around and see them wherever they are."

She blinked. "Right. Sounds good."

I sighed, smiling nonetheless. I was determined to enjoy myself. "Okay, I'll start making the fort, you start making the snowballs. They said no rules, so use your wand!"

Eagerly, I levitated a large bank of snow to land in front of me, where it began to mold itself into a three foot wall of ice. Once the outside had been taken care of, I turned to observe the tree. Using both my wand and my hands, I pulled down several large branches to conceal our heads.

"Hey!" Noel shrieked as a clump of snow was deposited onto her. "This hat is Givenchy!"

"Sorry," I snickered, trying and failing to hide my smirk.

She shoved me, a tiny smile appearing on her face as well. "Bint."

Suddenly, a loud whistle pierced the air, and dozens of snowballs began to fly straight at our faces.

"DUCK!" I bellowed, yanking Noel down. "Where are they coming from?"

Noel crawled around to the other side of the tree. "I think…AGH!"

She returned with a face full of snow. "Over there," she said bitterly. "They are so dead."

With a warrior cry, Noel leapt over the wall, using her wand to whip up a snowball the size of Wales. It somehow absorbed all the snowballs being tossed her way, making it grow even larger.

"That is not something you see every day," I muttered to myself, following behind her more cautiously. I dodged behind another tree as a sparkling, purple snowball whizzed by inches from my face. Peering between two small tree limbs, I looked around. I couldn't see anything. I could no longer hear Noel's odd war cry. It was silent…too silent.

"GOT YOU!" a voice bellowed from behind me, and I found myself wrapped against George, his hand over my mouth.

I bit at it hand furiously. "George!" I cried when he briefly removed it. "St-"

He clamped it back over my mouth. "Now Prudence, the only way I'll release you is if you agree to surrender."

I shook my head emphatically, only to find myself being lifted into the air.

"Suit yourself," he said innocently, then began to whistle as he dragged me through the snow.

"Okimph, okimph," I managed through his palm.

George retracted his hand. "I'm sorry love, what was that?"

"I _said, _okay. I give up." My tone was sour as he set me back on my feet.

He patted my shoulder. "It's okay Prudence, most people are unprepared for battle with the Weasley twins. Compared to us, everyone is an amateur – HEY!"

With a giggle, I turned tail and ran as fast as I could. George was now buried under a pile of snow thanks to the convenient positioning of a pine tree, but I didn't know how long it would hold him off. "NOEL! NOEL, WHERE ARE YOU!" I yelled, trying to locate my teammate.

A quick glance behind me showed that George was now hot on my heels, Fred also joining the race. He'd been disguised to blend in with a nearby bush. "NOEL – oh."

Blinking, I came to an abrupt halt as I found her lying in the snow and straddling Lee's waist.

"Well it's about time." George came to stand beside me.

The pair showed no signs of stopping. Lee's hands went somewhere inappropriate. "Shall we head back up to the castle and get lunch then?" I suggested vaguely, unable to tear my eyes away from the sight in front of me.

"A great idea!" Fred avowed, and George gently took hold of my elbow, pulling me after him.

I guess I couldn't say I hadn't seen it coming.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for the wait! I'm on spring break now, yay! I hope you enjoyed it, especially the fluffy little bit at the end :) I just couldn't end it after the meeting with Dumbledore, it would have been entirely too depressing. Does anyone else like Noel and Lee, or is it just me? UP NEXT: Hagrid returns, one of Noel's exes emerges, and the Slytherins get a bigger story line. Stay tuned!**


	12. Half-breeds and Blood Traitors

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm bloody freezing!" I complained as we trekked our way across the snowy grounds. The fun of the snowball fight had long since worn out, especially as the twins had just tossed me into a snow drift and I had melting ice in every orifice of my body.

"Wonder why that is?" Fred asked with an innocent bat of his lashes.

Scowling, I cast a drying spell on myself and stalked ahead of them. Both caught up within two strides. "Don't be like that, love," George pleaded.

"Yeah, it's your fault for thinking you could take on the Weasley twins in a snowball fight." Fred sounded oddly smug.

I shuddered in happiness as we made it into the warmth of the Entrance Hall. "Well I can only imagine how many you had with five other siblings," I begrudged.

"It was always the five of _them_ against _us_," George said reminiscently.

"And we always won!" Fred added cheerfully, tweaking my nose.

Both of them had been treating me a bit like a child as of late, and I couldn't tell if I liked the level of comfort they felt with me or hated being considered something of a sister to them. Every time I watched George's eyes twinkle I hated it, but when my fingers traced the tiny book charm around my neck, I decided it wasn't such a bad thing. Add that on top of everything I had been told by Professor Dumbledore, and I was a confused wreck.

Trying to shake myself out of my thoughts, I turned towards the both of them as we took our usual seats at the Gryffindor Table. "Can we talk about the elephant in the room please?"

"That's no way to talk about Hagrid," Dean Thomas said happily from my left side.

"Hagrid?!" At the sound of his name, both twins whipped their heads towards the doors, which had just opened to reveal the school's Care of Magical Creatures professor. With a roar, Fred and George leapt off of the bench and ran over to him, where they wrung his hand repeatedly.

I glanced up at the Head Table, only to see Professor Umbridge looking like she'd bit into something sour. With a small grin, I calmly got out of my seat and walked up to the gamekeeper. I came up to his thigh. "Hello Hagrid!"

"Well if it isn't Prudence Turner!" Hagrid said as he accepted my handshake. "It's bin o' coupl' a years since I've had ter bring you ter Diagon Alley for shoppin', what've you bin up to? Nothin' bad I hope."

Though I had been terrified of Hagrid when he'd first showed up on my doorstep, I'd grown quite fond of him over the years. Up until two summers ago, Hagrid had taken me to get my school supplies, as my father wanted nothing to do with the magical world. I used to spend my entire vacations waiting for his arrival, where he would produce biting teacups and frog spawn from the depths of his mole-skin jacket pockets.

"I've done my best, Sir, the new professor doesn't exactly make it easy," I replied, working to keep the scowl off of my face.

Hagrid let out a booming laugh. "Sir! Look a' this one, knew I liked her!"

Both Fred and George smirked slightly. "But Hagrid, you really don't understand, Umbridge is from the Ministry! She's here to keep an eye on Dumbledore!" Fred said in earnest.

"Nonsense! If Fudge wanted ter keep an eye on Dumbledore, he'd not do it by means of a Hogwarts professor. He always knows what he's doin', Dumbledore, it's all part of his plan I 'spect."

With a shrug, the three of us moved aside as several other Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors bustled over to greet him, Ginny among them. "Cheers, Ginny!"

"Hi Prudence, you haven't seen Michael by any chance, have you? I think he's been avoiding me." The youngest Weasley rolled her eyes as she mentioned her boyfriend's name.

"No, sorry, I've been outside all morning-"

George shoved his way into the conversation. "Oi! I don't like you talking about him in front of us!"

"Yeah Gin, really, don't you know you should keep that sort of stuff private? I think my ears are bleeding," Fred moaned theatrically.

Ginny's brows flew up into her hairline. "Privacy would have been nice when I walked in on you and Angelina Johnson in the Charms corridor on Thursday," she replied coolly. I smirked. "And as for you George, did or did Mum not find a black, lacy bra underneath your bed this summer? How's _that _for keeping stuff private?"

My cheeks burned as George winked. "Would've stayed private if Mum wasn't nosing around. Course, once she suspects something, you know how she gets."

"What was that girl's name? Penny? Polly?" Fred tried to recall.

George frowned. "No, no, I think it started with a D. Dana? Dolly?"

"You're both idiots. It was Holly, and she was really nice. Deserves to be more than a misrepresentation in your mind, honestly. How do you put up with them?" Ginny spoke the last part to me, but I was too mortified to reply.

Thankfully, Noel and Lee had a timely reappearance. "Hagrid!" Lee cried out gleefully, and proceeded to draw him into a conversation about a harpy's reproduction system.

Noel rolled her eyes. "What did I miss?"

"I was just getting a lecture from my brothers about relationships and privacy, and I had to remind them just how obnoxious they were," Ginny summed up, before finding one of her fourth year friends and wandering off.

"She's a little firecracker, isn't she?" Noel remarked.

Fred snorted. "You could say that. Hey, why are Prudence's cheeks so red?"

Turning away abruptly, I made my way back to my seat at the table, pulling biscuits and potatoes onto my plate. "I'm just really hot is all. It's warm in here."

"I think you're embarrassed." Noel leaned towards me, resting her chin in her hands as she eyed me with interest.

"Embarrassed about what?" George asked through a mouthful of beet soup.

A grin slowly spread its way across Noel's face. "Sex."

Against my will, the flush deepened, and I pulled my sweater up over my face. "Stop looking at me."

"Prudence the Prude!" Lee said as he dropped down beside Noel.

"I am _not _a prude," I managed from behind my sweater. George chortled into his goblet of water.

Noel tilted her head and glanced up at the ceiling. "Let's see…my first time was in fifth year, with Christopher Collins. I remember, because Grace had bought me chocolate knickers for the occasion, and he ate them off of me. I mean, every girl's first time is supposed to be painful and uncomfortable, but he was _really _good. Didn't hurt a bit."

My sweater and jaw both dropped. Lee looked like he'd both won the lottery and had a bucket of water dumped over his head. Fred had a brow raised and George merely nodded to himself thoughtfully.

"My turn!" Fred declared. "Let's see…it was last summer at the World Cup. You know, before all the Death Eater stuff. I found this lovely Bulgarian girl who understood two words of English, 'yes,' and 'pleasure.' Had a nice little rendezvous in the woods, we did."

My stomach churned. "Please stop."

"Course then there was also that Muggle girl from Ottery St. Catchpole, and Angelina…she's recurring though," he said as he winked in her direction. She flipped him off and he pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket.

Noel turned to Lee slowly, her smirk widening. "What about you?"

He cleared his throat importantly. "Two years ago, Lisa Buchanan. Broom closet, third floor, all night."

"You chose a broom closet for your first time? How romantic," Noel drawled.

"Yeah mate, you could learn a thing or two from Georgie here," Fred boasted.

George, who had remained silent this entire time, coughed as the tips of his ears turned red. "It's not that great."

"Boooo!" Noel hissed. "Tell us!"

Deflecting some bits of sausage that Lee tossed at him, he rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. The summer before fifth year I was trying to impress some older girl who worked at the ice cream shop near our house, so one day I showed up at closing time and produced some flowers out of thin air. She was so impressed with my magical abilities – she had no idea I was a real wizard and I'd stolen my mother's wand - that she agreed to go on a date with me, and when one thing led to another I brought her to our back garden.

"I'd set up a blanket, some champagne, and flower petals ahead of time, because I'd heard girls liked that kind of thing. I had some music playing from a muggle radio my dad had lying around, and I'd fixed some fairy lights on the branches of the willow tree nearby."

Lee whistled as Noel applauded slightly. "I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you, Weasley. The boys of this school could definitely learn something from you," she acknowledged approvingly.

Slowly, the four of them spun towards me. I sunk down in my seat. "I think we've all established that I'm a virgin."

"Yeah, but have you ever done anything else? Come on Prudence, please don't tell me you're seventeen and never been kissed," Noel snorted.

I pointedly took a sip of pumpkin juice.

She gasped slightly. "Okay, this is a problem. Someone take Prudence's virginity, quick!" she yelled.

Neville Longbottom, who had been sitting three seats down, began to cough violently, having choked on his shepherd's pie.

"Are you volunteering, Neville?" Fred asked joyfully, slapping the fifth year on the back.

"Kill me," I whispered, burying my head in my hands. After several moments, the conversation thankfully changed to Hagrid's timely arrival and I could finally raise my head, the flush dying down. George rubbed my back ever so slightly, and my cheeks lit up again like fireworks. I sighed.

* * *

"You've honest to Merlin, _never _snogged a boy before?" Noel continued to pester me later on that night in our dormitory.

Scowling, I spat my toothpaste into the sink. "Never."

There was a pause. "A girl?"

"No!" I shut off the light in the bathroom a little too harshly, and the lamp wobbled dangerously.

Noel eyed me as I settled onto my bed. Grace was luckily absent. The absolute last thing I needed was Miss Beauty Queen sneering at my inexperience. "You know, I thought you'd at least done something with Cedric. The two of you were together an awful lot…and I mean, with all those late night patrols, I thought for _sure _that something had happened."

"Well…" I started, then stopped as her face lit up. "Do you remember that night in fifth year, when we all had to sleep in the Great Hall because Sirius Black was in the castle?"

She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Uh huh…"

"All the prefects had to patrol the Hall that night, to make sure all the students were accounted for and no one was sneaking off." I took a deep breath. This was the memory that I most often tried to repress, because it left me feeling so hollow. "Cedric and I were walking around together, because he knew how I felt about the dark. Of course, we weren't as friendly as we were last year, but we'd still studied together numerous times and he'd started to eat breakfast with me on Monday mornings.

"Anyway, we were towards the back, checking on the Ravenclaws, when I tripped over someone's bag and stumbled a bit. Cedric grabbed my forearms to stop me from falling, like this," I demonstrated, trying to ignore the look of scandal on Noel's face. "He kept hold of my arms for a minute, and he was staring at me like he'd never seen me before. His right hand let go of me and – reached up and brushed back my hair."

My voice caught and I stopped to take a shuddering breath. "He leaned in a little bit, but I couldn't move. I was frozen, literally, in fear. Before he could kiss me, I think that's what he was trying to do, another prefect walked by, and he jumped back about two feet."

"Wow." Noel looked impressed.

"I've never stopped wondering what it would have been like if he'd done it. But I'm not sure that he was going to, because he never tried again after that. And now he's dead." There was a heavy silence. It was the first time I'd acknowledged Cedric was really gone out loud, but it didn't make me feel any better. I just felt empty.

All of a sudden, Noel scrambled over to me and sat on my bed with her legs crossed. "Prudence, he wanted to, I know he did. It was honestly sickening how much he spoke of you. He was probably scared it would ruin your friendship. I mean let's face it, you were never the most stable person. Everything made you nervous, even people, even him. And then Cho came along last year, and he most likely thought that was the right route to keep your friendship intact."

"I never thought of it like that," I whispered, my hand finding its way to the charm of its own accord. "That he might've cared so much that he didn't want to risk anything."

She nodded emphatically. "It's true. You can trust me, I'm good at this kind of thing."

I looked up at her abruptly. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I like you, you stupid bint." Noel rolled her eyes and tossed back her hair, wandering into the bathroom. "Sometimes you're so clueless."

This had been a pleasant turn of events. I settled under my covers and yanked my hangings around me, a small grin on my face. Despite the events of last night, I'd had a really good day today, and it was the first time I felt like someone would actually miss me if I was gone.

* * *

"Noel, what are you doing?" I asked in confusion as I was shoved forwards.

She peered around my waist. "What is he doing here? How can he be here? He doesn't go here anymore! He graduated! He shouldn't be here!"

"Who?" My eyes scanned the Great Hall, looking for anyone out of place. No one looked particularly out of place. Well, except for Luna, who was reading an upside down Quibbler.

"I've got to go, I've got to go," she muttered to herself, slowly backing away. "Agh!"

Lee had walked up behind us and grabbed hold of her. "Noel, what are you doing?"

"That's what I asked," I said, my eyes still focused on the sea of students.

"He's coming this way!" she hissed, and fought to get out of Lee's grasp. "Let go of me!"

A tall, blonde haired and blue eyed man who I vaguely recognized had risen from the Ravenclaw table and was now walking towards us.

"Phwoar, it's Dash Stretton!" Fred exclaimed, and George, despite the bags underneath his eyes, blinked and stood up straight.

"There she is," Dash said in a deep, booming voice. "Noel Dalton in the flesh."

Lee, looking suspicious, finally released her. She looked scared as she drew herself up to her full height. "Hello Dash."

He smirked and held his arms out. "What are you doing? Get over here!"

"I…" Noel's brown eyes widened slightly as she looked over at me. With a reluctant sigh she stepped forward, and he wrapped his burly arms around her, one hand dangerously low on her back.

Lee's eyes were spitting fire. Fred had his trademark brow raised. George was yawning. "How have you been? Godric you're beautiful. Pictures really don't do you justice," Dash winked, fingering a strand of her hair.

"What are you doing here?" she asked stiffly as she stepped backwards slightly, towards Lee. I didn't miss the tiny flash of darkness that flitted across Dash's face.

"It's the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match today, you know I couldn't miss it. And I had to see my favorite girl, didn't I?" he asked silkily, giving her a megawatt smile.

There was something about their interactions that was very murky. Something was there that we couldn't see, and I desperately tried to recall any times Noel may have talked about him with Grace. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. I'd been more wrapped up in myself than I thought.

Fred and George, having sensed something off about the conversation, began to edge around them towards the Gryffindor table. Once they were out of Noel's peripheral vision, they legged it over to the bench and sat down. George slumped over and began to snore.

"I'm your favorite girl, am I?" Noel's eyes narrowed, as did Lee's. If Noel hadn't been acting so strangely, I would have found Lee's overprotection quite funny.

"Of course you are, Nelly Belly. You know you are. Things aren't the same without you. I miss you." Dash's blue eyes seemed to be paralyzing her, and just stood there, letting him intimidate her.

I coughed. "Right, well, this was nice, but Noel's actually got to tutor me in the library, and we need to eat, so…"

Lee stepped around Noel and crossed his arms, which were decidedly less impressive than his adversary's. "Yeah, we've got things to do, so if you could move out of the way, that'd be great."

"Right." I held my breath for a moment as the two continued to face off, until, after a long pause, Dash stepped aside. "Enjoy your breakfast. And I'll see _you _later."

I grabbed Noel's wrist and propelled her along, Lee following at a slower rate. I supposed it was hard to walk and glare at someone at the same time.

"You've had sex with Dash Stretton?!" Fred bombarded her as we sat down. I whacked him over the back of the head. "Ow, woman!"

Noel's hand shook as she poured herself a goblet of water, drenching the biscuits. Lee grabbed the pitcher from her hand and filled her cup, passing it to her gently.

"Sorry, but it's not every day I know someone who's shagged a professional quidditch player," Fred said grumpily.

George yawned and slapped himself across the face in an effort to wake up.

That's right…Dash had played quidditch here a few years back. He'd nearly taken the 6 year winning streak away from Slytherin in his seventh year.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" I asked George quietly, preparing some tea. He looked like he'd been up all night. His eyes were puffy, his skin pallid, and his hair limp.

He shook his head slowly. "I had detention with Umbridge last night. That's why we didn't have you testing any products. She kept me there until well past midnight; I thought my hand was going to fall off. I was in too much pain to sleep, so I kind of just laid there with my hand in a bucket of ice water."

"What did you do?" I grabbed his left hand as carefully as I could. The entire back of it was swollen, the letters of 'I must not disturb the class,' mixed in with all of his other misdeeds. "And what about your Murtlap?"

George retracted his hand. "I didn't turn in that last essay, and I guess she finally got around to grading them. Told me if I didn't come to her office for detention I'd fail the entire class. And I ran out. Last Hogsmeade trip was a month ago and I've had...nine detentions with her?"

"Jesus, George." He shrugged. "Come on, get up. I've got some Murtlap in my room, we're going to get it."

Sluggishly, George crammed a slice of toast into his mouth and rose, his long legs quaking with the effort.

"See you lot at the match," I called behind me, walking hurriedly out of the hall. "Honestly, you should've just gone to Madame Pomfrey if it hurt that badly. This is seriously infected!"

He lumbered behind me. "S'fine."

I ignored the spray of crumbs that flew in my direction. "No, it's not." I tapped the barrel five times, and once the tunnel appeared, I gestured for him to follow me.

"So this is what your common room looks like," George observed. "I always pictured it with a lot more...plants."

"If we had any of the plants that we worked on in class, we'd be sending first years to the Hospital Wing in droves," I said, trying not to notice the stares I was receiving from Grace, Martin, Terrence, and Patrick. Grace had paused mid-nail file. "George, come _on!_"

With another yawn, his managed to carry himself across the room and down the tunnel that led to the girls dormitories. "You get used to the dirt smell after a while," I said apologetically.

I unlocked the door with a flick of my wrist and the room filled with light. I loved how it looked in the mornings. Our windows were positioned so that as the sun was rising, it flooded over our beds and crept along the floor until the entire dorm was engulfed.

"I think it's in the bathroom, just let me check…" I hurried into the loo and rifled through the drawers. The last time I'd seen the substance was when Grace had given it to me in September, and I'd left it on the counter top. "Got it!" I yelled triumphantly after several minutes of searching.

I walked back into the room to find George standing in front of my desk, holding up a picture in a tarnished, silver frame. "What are you doing?"

"Is this your mum?" he asked, looking slightly more awake.

Nervously, I conjured a bowl to put the potion in. My fingers fumbled with the cork. "Yes."

"She looks like you," George commented, placing it back down so he could accept the Murtlap. "Thanks, love."

Absentmindedly, he settled onto my bed, leaning back against the pillows. Noticing my stare, he patted the spot beside him. Instead, I stayed where I was, clasping my sweaty hands together. "Are you okay? You look peaky."

"Can I tell you something?" I burst out, wincing slightly as the sound filled the room.

"…please don't tell me you dated Dash Stretton too," he said with such a stern expression that a small giggle escaped from my mouth. George smirked victoriously and motioned to the spot beside him once more.

I sighed and slid my shoes off, seating myself beside him with one leg tucked beneath me. "George, this is serious."

Shifting a bit to face me, being careful not to spill the potion onto my mattress, he mimed zipping his mouth shut. "I'm all ears, I promise."

"All right, so you know how about a week ago I went to see Dumbledore?" At his nod, I continued, albeit a bit reluctantly. "I was trying to find out some information. About my mother."

He looked like he wanted to ask questions, but gestured for me to go on. I kept my gaze down. "My mother was friends with your uncles, Fabian and Gideon Prewett."

"Really?" George asked before catching himself.

"They weren't just friends though, they were really close. Best mates actually. Professor McGonagall told me. She was their Head of House. The three of them were even aurors together at the Ministry." I was completely unsure of why I was telling him this, except for the fact that keeping everything inside of my head was making me go crazy, and I was getting desperate. The nightmares were coming every night now.

George frowned. "So you've known this for a week now?"

I nodded. "Yes. I thought you might want to know. I read that your uncles were killed in action when you were young, so obviously you can't know much about them."

"I don't, just that they were twins like Fred and I, and they were killed by Death Eaters. My mum doesn't like it when anyone brings them up. She was only a bit older than us when they died, and whenever someone says their names, she hides away in her bedroom," George said. He looked like he was thinking hard about something.

"That's not all, though." I picked at a loose thread on the duvet. "My mother is…sick. Right after your uncles were killed, right after everyone thought You-Know-Who was gone, she went with two other aurors to London, to a Death Eater hideout to try and capture some of them."

George placed the bowl onto my end table to give me his full attention. He was watching me so intently that my voice started to waver. "They got into the building all right, but they got trapped, and a woman found them. Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange. She tortured them for hours, until the Ministry arrived and arrested her and her husband. By then, my mother had been under the Cruciatus Curse for so long that she wasn't quite right anymore."

He swore under his breath. "Is she…still alive?"

"Yes, but also no. She's in a kind of vegetative state that healers can't really explain. She can walk a bit but she can't speak, and she doesn't really register that there's anyone around. She's lucid sometimes though; it happened once when I was five, when I was nine, and when I was thirteen. So, so I'm lucky, really. Some people don't get to meet their parents at all; just look at Harry," I stammered nervously. I'd never told anyone this before, not even Cedric.

George ran a hand through his hair. "Prudence…"

"No, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. I just wanted to tell you." He nodded slightly, and the two of us sat quietly for a moment. "I'm really glad we're friends." I refused to look at him as I said it. My cheeks were too red.

He smirked and cuffed my chin. "Me too."

Suddenly the room exploded in sound as the door flung open, slamming into the wall. "Come on, we've got to hide!"

I was so startled that I fell off the bed and knocked my head against the bed frame. "Merlin's beard Noel!" I admonished her as I rubbed my hairline.

"Hurry up, we don't have a lot of time, the match is about to start!" Noel stormed into the room and grabbed her satchel with a look of manic determination on her face. "We're going to Gryffindor Tower, he'll never find us there!"

I exchanged an eyebrow raise with George as Lee rushed forward to take Noel's bag from her. "Noel, calm down. Whatever's wrong, we can fix it, okay?"

"NO WE CAN'T!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her chest heaving.

Fred dropped the muffin he was holding, but made no movement to pick it up. Lee's mouth was slightly agape.

"Gryffindor Tower, you heard her," I said, and everyone seemed to snap to attention. I gathered a few belongings into my own rucksack, George grabbed his Murtlap dish, and the five of us took a very detoured route up to the seventh floor that avoided every major stairwell and corridor in the school. Half the time I didn't know where we were.

Noel forced Lee to look around every corner first, and insisted that if any of us caught sight of Dash, we were to yell, "the Claw, the Claw!" and scatter in different directions like some kind of special forces team. She was acting like a complete lunatic, and I had no clue what to make of it. I'd never seen her so upset. She normally radiated confidence, and she never let guys affect her like this. I'd been calling her a man-eater in my head since third year when she'd developed breasts and started to make boys cry.

She breathed a sigh of relief once we had made it up into Lee and the twins' dormitory. Thankfully, Kenneth was gone, presumably in the library, and Noel locked the door with three different spells in varying shades of red and purple. Shaking slightly, she fell onto Lee's bed.

"You know there's a tarantula beside you, right?" Fred asked innocently, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. Noel screamed and scrambled away, clambering onto George's bed and hiding behind the hangings.

The twins burst into laughter, but I pinched the skin beneath their biceps until they stopped. "It's not funny. Noel, what's going on?"

"Yeah, what's got you acting like a madcap?" Lee demanded, setting her satchel down.

She eyed all of us for a moment, almost like she was sizing us up. "Sidebar! Prudence, bathroom, now."

"Okay…" Frowning, I reluctantly trailed after her. "Oh, wait a minute. Accio Extendable Ears!"

Lee and the twins groaned as about twenty small, purple boxes flew into my arms, neatly stacking themselves into piles of five, and I rolled my eyes at them as I shut the door behind me, casting an additional silencing spell to ensure privacy.

Noel was sitting primly on the edge of the bathtub with her hands clasped in her lap and her legs crossed, but her right foot wouldn't stop tapping. "You remember I used to date Dash, right?"

"Er, sure. I mean I don't remember much, but you were together for all of fourth and fifth year, right?" I dug through my foggy memories trying to pinpoint an exact moment.

"Unfortunately." Noel pursed her lips and glowered. "Let's just say he wasn't very nice to me."

I blinked. "What did he do?"

There was a pause. It was so quiet that I could hear the breathing of Lee and the twins from outside the door. "We fought a lot. He always thought I was sneaking around behind his back, and I knew for sure that he was cheating on me. Most of the time though, he was just high. He has a drug problem; cocaine mostly, some pixie dust, a little opium."

"And what did he do to you when he was high?" I asked quietly.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Well, sometimes he would force me down onto the bed…other times he would be too angry to do that. I always found myself in some random bathroom, at some random hour, cleaning myself up so no one would see that way. Merlin forbid he get in trouble and his quidditch career be jeopardized," she said bitterly.

Uncomfortably, I massaged my left wrist which had suddenly seized up in pain. "Noel, I'm so sorry. I know how it-I mean, I can imagine how awful that must have been for you. Have you ever told anyone about this? Sprout, or-or your parents?"

"No. You're the first." She laughed mirthlessly. "He's who I was writing all those letters to. He was trying to come back into my life, and he wouldn't stop sending me owls until I replied. I tried telling him I wasn't interested, that I'd moved on and didn't want to see him again. He begged and pleaded with me to meet up during Hogsmeade, but I said if he ever came near me again that I would go to the Wizengamot."

"So that's what we'll do. We'll contact the authorities," I spoke firmly, sitting down beside her.

Noel's eyes widened. "Hell no. I'm not stupid, I know the chances of him getting convicted are slim. Who are they going to believe, a female student whose had more than her fair share of suitors or a handsome quidditch star who has personally signed autographs for half the council? I would just get branded as the girl trying to get revenge on her famous ex-boyfriend, and everyone would hate me."

I pondered this in my head. She was probably right. As there was no longer any physical evidence, it couldn't be proven, and it would be a complete verbal battle. "Do you want to tell them?" I gestured towards the dormitory.

"I don't think so. Not yet. I only wanted to tell you because I knew you wouldn't judge," Noel explained softly, staring pointedly at the tiled pattern on the wall.

Tentatively, I scooted over and wrapped my arms around her. After a moment, during which I started to pull back, I felt a few tear drops fall onto my shoulder. I squeezed a little tighter.

After about twenty minutes, Noel had calmed down enough to touch up her makeup and rejoin the boys. There was a full-blown picnic taking over George's bed, and the three of them were lying on the ground and snacking on pastries and cheeses.

"We got bored," Lee explained with a shrug.

"And hungry," Fred added through a mouthful of food.

My brow furrowed. "We just ate breakfast."

George laughed. "Yes, but there's always second breakfast!"

"Yeah, it's called lunch," Noel said drily as she settled herself onto a desk chair daintily.

I giggled and found a relatively clean spot of floor between Lee and George, snatching up a pumpkin pasty. The day passed surprisingly quickly for five people being locked up in a small space. By noon my sides hurt from laughing, and by dinner time my cheeks ached from smiling. All five of us tried out a bunch of the twins' products, although that came to an end when it took forty minutes for Fred's hair to grow back out of his scalp.

We had juggling competitions, orange juice chugging contests (that one was gross), a full Exploding Snap tournament that ended up with my fingernails being singed, and I spent a good three hours sketching individual portraits of all of them. Lee declared that he was getting his framed as a Christmas present for his mother. I hoped she appreciated his sense of humor.

Kenneth had attempted to get back in around four o'clock, but Fred merely slid a fresh pair of underwear under the door for him and told him to come back later. Around ten o'clock, I yawned and decided to head back to my own common room. Noel wished to leave as well, but insisted on going the scenic route with Lee, so the twins offered to walk me back the normal way.

"Wow, it's so much colder out here," I remarked as a shiver ran down my spine. The halls were relatively empty, as curfew was in half an hour, and there was a heavy chill in the air. "The Scottish weather actually makes me miss Wales."

"You're Welsh?" George asked in surprise.

I nodded and ducked under a faded tapestry that had embroidery of the Black Lake on it. "On my father's side, yes. I live in Monmouthshire."

Fred waggled his brows. "So you're pretty well-off then, eh? Maybe _you_ should be paying _us_ for testing our products!"

"My father's the one who's well-off. The money doesn't exactly get shared," I said stiffly.

"That's all right love, one day you'll be the head healer of all of St. Mungo's, and you'll own half of England!" George declared cheerfully, bumping my shoulder with his.

I laughed quietly. "That's the dream. Not sure I'd like to own anything in England though. Spain now, _that _would be nice."

Fred snorted. "Do you speak any Spanish?"

"Er, no. But I know how to say, 'I've got ten toes,' in Italian. Perhaps Italy would be more fitting. I've heard Rome's nice," I said wistfully, my mind wandering to gondola boats and never-ending pasta dishes.

"Wants to live abroad, check," George muttered to himself, pretending to scrawl something on a list.

"Look what we've got here! Blood-traitor scum and a filthy little half-breed! Three for the price of none!"

At the snickers and sneers from behind us, we all whirled around quickly, our wands out. We found a group of bulky Slytherins comprised of Graham Montague, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, and Cassius Warrington.

Fred sneered. "We've got no business with you, Montague, so you might as well clear off."

"Yeah, take your smelly oafs somewhere else, my eyes are starting to burn," George insisted, his wand raising several inches higher.

Flint and Warrington cracked their knuckles as Pucey smirked, his dark eyes glittering. I reached out for George's elbow. "Guys, they're not worth it. You know Umbridge is looking for any reason to get you in trouble; you'll be expelled!"

As the two of them reluctantly lowered their arms, Montague chortled. "That's right scum, listen to your little half-breed whore."

"Shut your mouth," George snarled, but I held fast to his elbow.

"George!" I said sharply, and he stepped backwards. "That's enough; let's go."

I should've known that just because I was in plain sight, just because I was at Hogwarts, the safest place in the world, just because I was with two other people, it wasn't smart to turn my back on a group of Slytherins.

"Organum mortem!" Montague yelled, and I felt something hot pass through me, right before I gasped and my body turned rigid.

"Oh," was all I said. Then I passed out.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a few days so I gave you an extra long chapter! Although since I left it at a cliffhanger, I guess I lose all my brownie points, huh? **

**What do you guys think of Noel and Lee? How about Ginny's newfound friendship with Prudence? Who is _totally _creeped out by Dash, and who hates Montague? Leave a review!**

**Up next: Prudence gets familiar with the Hospital Wing, another DA meeting, a chance encounter, and Christmas is coming! Stay tuned!**


	13. Keep Calm and Rebel On

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Prudence, I spent twenty minutes doing your hair all up and you've gone and torn it all down, why?"

I blinked, turning around in confusion only to find myself face to face with my mother. We were outdoors, and she was holding a pair of ice skates in one hand and my arm in the other. "Mum?"

"Yes dear?" She stopped walking and looked down at me with a warm smile. It was a perfect contrast to the dreary sky behind her.

This must have been another dream. I whirled around, trying to take in my surroundings. "Erm, where are we going?"

"To the pond of course. Didn't I ever tell you I used to be a champion ice skater?" My mother started walking again, her long, dark hair becoming a safe haven for the snowflakes that were being blown off of a nearby snow bank.

I jogged to catch up, out of breath from trudging through the heavy snow. "No, you didn't. You never got the chance to say much, really."

She ignored me as the pond came into view, letting out a tinkering laugh. "Okay, I'm going to take you out onto the ice with me, but first I'm going to show you how to lace up your boots, just do what I do, all right?"

I settled myself onto a small log, turning it into a makeshift bench, and eagerly watched her fingers, which moved so nimbly that I could hardly believe this was the same person who had been lying in bed for four years.

"That's right doll, loosen them up a bit first and just slide your feet in," she spoke encouragingly. "Right, now you're going to start pulling the laces one by one from the bottom up to tighten it and make it all nice and snug. Make sure you can still move your toes though!"

She clapped her hands in delight as I finished the first skate. "It looks like we have a natural. I bet you'll be skating on your own in no time, just like your mother!"

Once we were both laced up, she took my hand and we hobbled over to the large, frozen pond that was a little ways behind our house. I could just see the chimney through the tops of the trees. "Mum, I'm scared," I admitted.

"Being scared is nothing to be ashamed of, Prudence. It only means you're uncomfortable with something. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'ignorance is bliss?' It's because those people aren't smart enough to know there are scary things all around them." She stepped one skate onto the ice and gestured for me to do the same.

Nervously, I followed suit, leaving the other foot firmly on the solid ground.

"Now the other one, dear. I'm right here, I'm not going to let you fall. Come on, you can do it!"

Gingerly, I slid my other foot forward, gripping her hand so tightly I couldn't feel my fingers. "Hey, hey stop!" I shrieked as she began to pull me along.

"Prudence, it's not dangerous, see? We're going nice and slow," she said assuredly.

After a moment my heart rate slowed, and I found myself grinning. "This isn't so bad."

She turned to me and smiled. "Ready to try it on your own? I'll be right beside you."

"O-okay, if you think it's a good idea." Glancing up at her anxiously, I slipped my hand from hers and pushed my left foot slightly ahead of my right. It was harder to stay upright, but the more I moved my feet, the sturdier I became. "Mum, I'm doing it, I'm doing it!"

"You're doing great, honey! Go around the whole pond now, nice and slow, all right?" she yelled, and I briefly spared her a thumbs up before I began to pick up speed. This was _fun_. "Prudence, I said nice and slow! Please be careful!"

I did not heed her warning. The sensation of my hair whipping out behind me, the weightlessness of my body on the ice, this was the best I'd ever felt! I urged my feet to move even faster, and the trees around me began to blur together.

"Prudence?" a voice asked softly, and it sounded so close behind me that I gasped and stumbled, pitching forward on the ice.

I slammed my eyes shut and waited for the dizziness to subside as I went slip-sliding across the pond. "Prudence, can you hear me?"

"Yes…"

With a gasp, my eyelids fluttered open and I had an odd sense of falling upwards. I was in an unfamiliar room, and a chill hung in the air. Shadows were dancing along the walls where a few large candles were burning, creating an eerie background.

"You're awake!"

I managed to turn my head slightly to the right, surprised to see George. "What happened?" My voice was raspy and my speech was slow. It took a lot of effort to get the words out and my mouth felt stiff.

"Don't worry," he spoke quickly, seeing my expression. "Madame Pomfrey said to expect this when you woke up, shall I go and fetch her?"

"No," I said as quickly as I could manage. George slowly sank back down into his chair. "I want you to tell me what happened, not her. Am I in the Hospital Wing?"

He sighed and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed or properly washed in a few days. "Right. What's the last thing you remember?"

I frowned. It also proved hard to think; my brain seemed to still be stuck in my dream, and it was as though I had to physically drag the thoughts into my mind. I'd been somewhere with George…and Fred. "Were we in the Entrance Hall?"

"Oh good." His face flooded with relief. "Yes, you, Fred and I were all there. We were walking you back to your dormitory on Saturday night."

My brow furrowed. "It's…not still Saturday night?"

"Well," he started, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "It's been a little while since then."

"George, what day is it?" My voice was quiet.

He leaned backwards in his chair. "Ah, Wednesday."

My breath seemed to get stuck in my throat. "It's been four days? Oh my god, what about classes? Homework? I'll never catch up. I must be so far behind!" The longer I stayed awake, the easier it became to speak, and the more my panic increased.

"No, Noel's been doing all your work for you, don't worry," George assured me. "Well, except for your potions, Lee's been taking care of those."

Great.

"Montague," I said suddenly, looking over to him for confirmation.

George sighed again. "What happened was that Montague and his cronies were harassing us that night, and when you turned your back to walk away, he attacked you. He used the spell, 'organum mortem,' which roughly translates to 'organ death' in Latin. I looked it up."

"Oh my… Am I dead?" I asked, trying to sit upright so I could look at my surroundings better.

He chuckled slightly. "No, you're not. If you were, I wouldn't be here; I would be in Hell, with the rest of the fun people," George teased, and I relaxed back into the pillows. "Right, so after you got hit with the curse, you just kind of crumpled on the floor. Fred ran after Montague, to try and get the countercurse out of him, but he knew the dungeons way better and Fred lost him.

"While Fred was doing that, I brought you up here as fast as I could. I had to wake Madame Pomfrey up, she wasn't too happy about that, but as soon as she saw you she got right to work. Bloody shoved me out the door, she did. I couldn't get back in, and I couldn't see how you were doing, but I was too anxious to just leave so I sat out in the corridor for a while." George paused to see how I was taking the news.

I stared up at the ceiling as I tried to picture all of this in my head. "What happened next?"

"I must have been out there for about an hour or so before Fred came back with Lee and Noel. They all tried to get in too – Noel was damn near ready to blast the entire wall apart – but Pomfrey insisted we wait for a while longer. Finally, just as the sun was coming up, she came and unlocked the door."

My stomach felt funny. There was a weight that seemed to be settled on my chest, and everything was…fluttery. Was it wrong to feel happy when I was lying in a sick bed?

"I don't want to alarm you, but you looked pretty gruesome. Noel almost started crying because she thought you were dead, until Madam Pomfrey explained that she'd put you into an induced coma, which I guess is a fancy way of saying she put you to sleep. The spell Montague used had started to shut down all of your vital organs, though thankfully it was moving slowly and hadn't gotten to your heart or lungs yet." George tried to lighten the mood, but his face was too grim and his voice fell flat.

"What happened to Montague? Did he get in trouble?"

George rubbed his eyes. "Unfortunately, no. Professor Dumbledore, Sprout, and McGonagall all came in shortly after us, and Fred and I explained what happened as quick as we could, but by the time they found him it seemed he'd gotten several steps ahead of us. He must have used someone else's wand to cast the curse, because the only spells he'd used in the last twelve hours or so were ones we'd done in class. And despite what Fred and I said, all the other Slytherins were backing them up. Claimed they'd been playing Wizard's Chess in the common room all night," he finished bitterly.

"So he's just, what? Sleeping all cozied up in his bed right now?" My voice started to rise in anger.

He edged forward on his seat. "No – no, Prudence, please don't shout. Listen, Fred and I are going to take care of it. We'll make sure he gets what's coming to him, we just have to wait a little while for this to blow over, or else everyone will assume it's you getting revenge and you'll get in trouble."

"So I nearly died, Montague tried to _murder _me, and it's just over? Done with?" I let out a mirthless laugh but quickly stopped when pain shot into my left side.

Noticing my discomfort, George gently adjusted the sheets so I was no longer weighted down by them. "You might want to be careful. Since you were asleep and couldn't take any potions, Pomfrey had to give you everything by sticking you with needles."

Frowning, I lifted up the loose, white, cotton shirt I was wearing and shuddered. Swirling down my entire ribcage was one continuous bruise, the damage blossoming against my skin like a gruesome flower.

"The needles were pretty big," George said apologetically. "Lee actually fainted!"

I tried to get my thoughts straight. Saturday night, after hanging out in Gryffindor Tower all day, I'd been attacked with dark magic by Graham Montague, which made my internal organs start to shut down. George had brought me to Madam Pomfrey who had put me asleep for four days while she tried to…what? Chase the curse out? Repair the damage?

"George, why haven't I gone to St. Mungo's? If it was serious, shouldn't I be there, with more than just one healer? I mean, shouldn't I have a whole team of them?" I asked anxiously, my fingers twisting the rough, starchy sheets. I'd been studying to become a healer since I was eleven; I knew the standard protocol.

"She didn't want to move you until she knew how bad it was, and once she saw it she said it was nothing she couldn't fix. I guess this spell was pretty popular in the 70s. Muggle-borns used to get brought in for it all the time, and somehow no one ever died." With a shake of his head, he let out a huge yawn.

A spell that had been used during You-Know-Who's reign of terror was now resurfacing; somehow I didn't think it was a coincidence. Was Montague a Death Eater? Had they really infiltrated our school? No, he'd probably just learned the spell from his father, that had to be it. Most likely thought it would bring him some amusement. Meanwhile, I had missed out on four days of my life and felt like if I moved even an inch, my body would erupt in pain.

"George? One last thing. Are there going to be any, er, long-term effects? I mean, I'll be able to do everything just fine, right? She fixed my…organs?"

"I think so. She didn't say otherwise, so don't panic. Shall I go get her now?" At my frantic nod, George stood and headed to the back of the Hospital Wing, where he descended a small flight of stairs. Several moments later, he returned with Madam Pomfrey at his heels, who was tying a terrycloth robe around her waist.

"Miss Turner! You're awake 14 hours early! You should still be sleeping," she stated brusquely as she bustled around, snatching vials and potions out of the air as they flew towards her.

I reached a shaky hand up and shoved a clump of hair out of my eyes. It felt extremely greasy. "I think I'm all slept out."

She shoved a tray containing six different potions at me. "Yes, well, that tends to happen when you've been in a coma. Drink these from left to right; these are all the nutrients you haven't been eating."

"Do I have to?" I asked rhetorically. The first one was thick and brown and smelled like dirt. Honestly, it looked a bit like dirt. With a grimace, I plugged my nose and tossed it back, gratefully accepting a goblet of water from George so I could wash it down.

The next one was easier; it was pink and tasted like cotton candy. I continued to drink until all the flasks were empty and the contents of my stomach were sloshing around. Thankfully, the last one had been peppermint, and it had washed away the contrast of tastes that had stuck to my tongue.

"Now, I assume Mr. Weasley has informed you of what happened?" I nodded. "I not only reversed the curse, I obliterated it at its source, so there are no physical traces of it left in your system. However, due to the tremendous amount of energy that your body had to use to try and fight it, you'll be extremely fatigued for the next week or so. In fact, I'd say you won't even be able to get out of bed for another three or four days."

"Days?!" I gaped at George, who looked just as shocked as me. "But…what about classes? My exams? My prefect rounds?"

Madam Pomfrey used a bony hand to force me back into the pillows. "Miss Turner, I must ask that you calm down. You have been excused from all of your classes, your homework is right beside you, and I daresay you shouldn't worry about patrolling. There are more than enough prefects to cover for you for a little while longer."

I pouted slightly as I caught sight of the mountain of books next to me. They were stacked on the floor and reached all the way up to the bed. George was using it as an arm rest. "What else though? I mean, I can't believe that after a curse like that, the worst bit is being fatigued."

"No, you're quite right. You should have a loss in appetite, and might not even want to eat at all, which is why I'll be keeping you here at least through the weekend; that way, you can drink all of your meals." I pulled a face and George ducked his head as he laughed. "You might have a bit of nausea, some swelling in your abdomen due to some fluid retention, a shortness of breath and a slight loss of memory, and at times you may feel disoriented. You should be thanking the stars; it could have been much, much worse."

"Worse how?" George exclaimed in disbelief, and my hands curled into fists.

She fixed him with a look. "Rest assured, Mr. Weasley, your sarcasm is not helping. Now that Miss Turner is awake, surely you would find it prudent to return to your dormitory so as not to disturb her healing process."

Seeing my stricken expression, he shook his head. "I'd like to stay, if that's all right. What's one more night in a creaky hospital chair?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Fine, but if there's even the slightest disturbance or hint of a Zonko's product in my ward, you'll face a suspension indefinitely!"

After checking my vital signs and forcing me to drink half a pitcher of water, she seemed satisfied with my progress and returned to her sleeping quarters, leaving George and I in the silence. I wondered what he had done to make her so suspicious.

"You don't have to stay, really. You have classes tomorrow." I didn't look at him as I spoke. I'd never been a good liar.

He smirked. "I had classes Monday, Tuesday, and today as well, and Prudence, I know you're afraid of the dark. Noel told me. I don't mind staying. The others would have been here as well but you're only allowed one overnight visitor apparently, and it was my turn tonight. We all wanted to make sure you weren't going to get up and go run a marathon through Hogsmeade or something."

I smiled, choosing to ignore the real reason they had been keeping watch over me. "You know me and those marathons. Can't stay away."

"Oh, I forgot! Tons of people have been in to visit, not just us, and they brought you cards and the like," George said eagerly, opening the drawer of my nightstand. It was filled to the brim. "Go on, open them."

"These are…for me?" I asked in shock. "From who?"

He grinned and ruffled my greasy hair. "Well, let's see. This one's from Ginny and Hermione. They dropped in on Monday to see how you were doing."

I took the card from him gingerly, my arms shaking slightly at the effort. It was constructed on a lilac piece of parchment and in brightly colored script read, 'Get better soon, Prudence!' Below that was a bunch of smiley faces and sparkles. Hermione had included a seven step process for recovering from a physical illness using only my brain. "This is really nice."

"_This_ one's from Looney – I mean, Luna. It came with this," George said, his lips twitching as he handed me another card and an oddly-shaped fruit.

"Oh, er, what is it?" I opened the card, staying far away from its colorful companion. The parchment was 3-D, a fact I discovered when I slid the pages apart and a large clump of confetti burst out. I slammed it closed as celebratory music began playing, echoing throughout the ward. "Oh, stop laughing!"

George gasped for breath as he clutched at his sides. "You-should have seen-your face!"

"I'll kick you out if you don't tell me what that is," I said threateningly, gesturing to the fruit.

"I dunno, do I? Maybe it says somewhere on the card," he suggested.

After casting a silencing spell on it, I tentatively opened it once more. Sure enough, at the bottom of the right page, it read,

'_Dear Prudence, I heard what happened, and I just wanted to say I hope you feel better soon! Whoever did it, I'm sure it's because of the wrackspurts; they seem to have multiplied lately. They've congregated outside the Great Hall, so be careful to always enter through the left side! I sent a Dirigible Plum along with the card, because they're supposed to be very good for healing.'_

George let out a snort of laughter. "A Dirigible Plum? It looks more like someone transfigured a parrot into a glob of clay."

"Don't be rude, she's sweet. She means well," I said fondly, setting her card down beside Ginny and Hermione's. The plum I placed back in the drawer.

Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, their roommate Janice Featherby who I had potions with, and Katie Bell had sent over their well wishes too. Their card was decorated in Hufflepuff colors and included funny anecdotes from the classes I had missed. I laughed aloud when I read about Martin accidentally evaporating his fingernails when he'd tried to brew a Cloning Concoction.

Noel's gift was by far my favorite; she had enchanted a jar of roses to glitter in the sunlight, and they were flourishing nicely on the windowsill behind me. Lee and the twins, of course, had brought me tons of butterbeer and chocolate that I had been unable to eat while unconscious, and he claimed it was a total mystery where it had gone to, before admitting that they had gotten very bored on Sunday afternoon.

A lot of DA members had sent over candy as well: Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, two fifth years in my house, had given me a box of chocolate frogs. Ginny's boyfriend Michael Corner and his friends Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein provided me with some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which George happily munched on until he came across a lint-flavored one. Gemma had brought over a long letter on Monday morning for me to read when I woke up, which I set aside for later. I didn't want to read it in front of George.

Professor Sprout had even gotten in on it; I found a small card attached to a pot of a Self-Fertilizing Shrub. It had been placed well away from the flowers Noel had brought; apparently it had tried to strangle the roses, and now seemed to be sulking.

"This is the last one," George said as he handed me a slip of parchment and a large container of assorted Honeydukes products. There were Ice Mice, Licorice Wands, Pumpkin Pasties, Sugared Butterfly Wings, even some Jelly Slugs and Cockroach Clusters.

My eyes widened as I saw the inscription. "Harry sent this?"

I didn't think that he of all people would care that I was in the Hospital Wing; after all, our only interactions had been through the few DA meetings we'd had this year, and even then it had been limited.

'_Prudence, I know how dull the Hospital Wing can be, so I thought this might provide a bit of a distraction for you. Cheers, Harry.'_

"He must like you," George said through a mouthful of sugar.

"Yeah, that or he feels guilty since I was Cedric's friend and he was the last one to see him alive," I muttered without thinking. George stopped chewing. "Sorry."

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no. You should feel free to talk about him as much as you want. Get it all out in the open."

But I shook my head. Instead, I told George to get some rest in the bed beside me, and when he obliged, I dragged out Gemma's letter, which I strained to read in the dim lighting.

_Prudence,_

_I hope this letter finds you all right; I sealed it with a charm that only lets you read it, but I wouldn't put anything past the Weasley twins. They're surprisingly sharp. Look, I know we're not great friends or anything, but for what it's worth, I know what really happened and I'm sorry. _

_I caught Montague bragging about it to Malfoy and Zabini, so I went to Snape to tell him what I heard. As you can imagine, it didn't go well. I may be in his house, but he sure doesn't like me. In fact, he basically threw me out of his office. I got this odd sort of feeling that he was reading my mind. I wouldn't be completely shocked if he was an Occlumens. _

_I'm pretty positive that he knows what Montague did, especially if he __**does **__know Occlumency, but he won't punish him unless Dumbledore finds out, which he won't because the entirety of Slytherin house is behind him. It's sickening how much they all care about their damn quidditch players. All they want is to win the House Cup, and they'll do anything to make sure Montague can still play. I'm really sorry. I tried._

_-Gemma _

That certainly explained a lot. It told me everything that I had been thinking. Firstly, that Gemma was a good person. Secondly, that Montague was being protected. Thirdly, that Snape knew Occlumency, something I'd suspected ever since I'd learned about the skill of mind reading in Charms two years ago.

I felt an odd sense of calm. A normal person would be angered by this, maybe even outraged. They would have fought it. Anarchy, riot, and all that. But I just wanted this entire ordeal to be over so I could get back to my regular life.

With a glance over to George, who was snoring gracefully, his long legs dangling off the end of the bed, I shook my head and pulled my Transfiguration book off the top of the pile. I certainly wouldn't be able to sleep, so I might as well do this.

* * *

"For the last time Fred, _no _kidnapping!" I snapped, clutching at my forehead. I'd spent the entirety of my morning being pestered by Madam Pomfrey, taking a total of eight more potions and being prodded in places I didn't know I could be prodded.

Then, while everyone else was still in class, I went back over half of the pile of work that Noel had done for me, to ensure that I wouldn't be behind when I started back up again. Around 4 o'clock, Noel, Lee, and the twins had burst into the ward, and despite Pomfrey's warnings, had squeezed and ruffled me until I was nearly crying from pain. It had then turned into a debate about how best to get back at Montague.

"But you said-"

Noel rolled her eyes. "Weasley, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

They all stared at her. "…what?"

"Don't get philosophical on them, they'd never come out of it alive," I muttered, fingering the braided strands of my hair. When she'd arrived, after she'd smacked me around a bit for scaring her like that, she had washed, brushed, and styled my hair for me. I felt much less like a bum now.

"Oi," George said indignantly. "Are you trying to say we're not smart?"

I shrugged. "At least not in the formal sense of the word."

Lee propped his feet up on the end of my bed and put his arms behind his head. "You're absolutely brutal, Turner. Bru-tal."

"No one's keeping you here," I replied innocently, batting my eyes. Of course, I wanted them all to stay. The Hospital Wing was dreadfully boring when there were no quidditch matches going on. I was the only occupant, which gave Madam Pomfrey far too much time to dote on me.

Lee rolled his eyes in a scarily accurate impression of Noel and tossed a chocolate frog up in the air, catching it between his teeth. "Anyway, what are we going to do about the DA meeting?"

"Just leave it up to us!" George declared with a wink.

Harry had sent out a message several hours ago on the coin. He would be holding another meeting this Sunday at 8, and I was still going to be under Pomfrey's watchful eye.

"Don't do anything that will get me into trouble. I have enough on my plate without having to serve detention too." I scowled and sunk back further into my pillows.

Both twins placed their hands over their hearts and said in perfect unison, "wouldn't dream of it, love!"

"Right," I grouched. Noel's lips twitched.

* * *

The closer the time drew to 8 o'clock, the more on edge I became. Late last night, George had snuck my wand out of Pomfrey's office and brought it back to me, where I'd promptly stored it underneath my pillow. I had at first tried to convince the healer to let me out early, telling her I had a club gathering I had to attend, but she had simply glowered and gone on a rant about how no one cared about proper health in this school.

Therefore, after relaying the information to Noel, a plan had been formed to break me out of the Hospital Wing for two hours so I wouldn't have to miss the DA meeting. At 7:35, I was to create a small rain storm within Madam Pomfrey's office to distract her. Hopefully she would never suspect me, since she thought she was still in possession of my wand. Once she was inside trying to tame the situation, the twins were going to come in with a fifth year they had paid to be my look-a-like for the evening.

The girl, who Noel would transfigure to appear eerily similar to me, was to act asleep if Pomfrey came to check on her, although the rain storm should keep her occupied for at least an hour, by which point she would probably be tired and would just retire to her sleeping quarters.

As the minute hand surpassed the small '6' along the bottom of the clock, I slid my wand out from beneath my pillow. "Show time," I whispered, pointing it carefully at the sliver of space between the door and its frame.

Madam Pomfrey let out a yelp of surprise, and the door was slammed shut as a crack of thunder rattled the floor of the entire ward. George's head popped through the entrance and I gave him a thumbs up. He, along with Fred, ushered a Ravenclaw named Lisa Turpin through the Hospital Wing hurriedly, and I eagerly hopped out of bed, already dressed in a fresh skirt and blouse that Noel had brought me. This was the first time in days I was adorned in something other than my hospital gown.

"Just remember, if she tries to speak to you, act like you're sleeping, and if she tries to force you, just nod 'yes,' or 'no.'" I told her in a hushed voice. Fred gestured for me to hurry. "We'll be back at 10:15. Good luck, and thanks!"

George grabbed my elbow and propelled me along, Fred bringing up the rear. Lee and Noel were waiting outside in the corridor, and the five of us set off as quickly as we could for the seventh floor.

"Hey guys?" I called softly a mere twenty feet later, stopping in my tracks. "My legs aren't really working."

My shoulders slumped in defeat as I tried to lift them. "They're all numb. I can't move."

"Not a problem, love," George said, and knelt down in front of me. "Weasley Piggy-Backing at your service."

I blinked. "You can't be serious."

"He is serious, and we're wasting time. Do you want to be late?" Noel snapped.

With a sigh, I wrapped my arms timidly around George's neck, and he grabbed my legs and gripped beneath my lower thighs. I could hardly feel his hands, and I tried hard not to panic. The four of them continued walking, this time with the pace a bit faster, and I buried my head in his back as a few tears streamed down my cheek.

"You're going to be fine, trust me. Your body just can't handle too much physical exertion yet, it's recovering. I know you know this, there's no use pretending. Besides, think how much fun you'll have when we get there. I heard we might start working on patronuses," George confided quietly as the others bickered about which short cut was the fastest.

I squirmed in an attempt to readjust myself. "I know, you're right. It's just so bloody frustrating. I hate playing patient. It's so…helpless."

"If all goes well tonight, you'll be back in classes tomorrow!" he said cheerfully. "And look, we made it!"

George continued to hold me as Fred jogged back and forth lightly until the large, mahogany door appeared. We all glanced backwards to make sure no one was watching us, and we disappeared through it one by one.

"Hey everyone, Prudence is here!" Ginny called out as George carefully set me down into a chair that Noel conjured. There was an explosion of cheering and applause, and several people rushed over.

"Prudence, you're back!" Alicia said happily, patting me on the back.

Angelina examined me in a motherly fashion. "You should really still be resting. Of course, I'm glad you're here."

"Did you get our card?" Katie asked eagerly, playing with the end of her long plait.

I took a deep breath as I attempted to focus on them. There was so much noise and chatter in the expansive room that it was hard to keep my attention in one place. "Oh, yes, thank you guys. It was really nice to wake up to that."

They all grinned and gave me a few more pats on the arm and shoulder before wandering off to chatter with a couple of Ravenclaws who were tossing a ball of green fire back and forth. I waved at Luna happily as Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked over.

"You look terrible," Ron observed, eyeing my sweaty brow and pallid skin.

Hermione whacked him. "Honestly Ron, she was in the Hospital Wing! We're really glad you're here Prudence," she finished kindly.

"Thanks for the card," I mumbled shyly. "Oh, and you too, Harry."

Harry scratched the back of his neck. "It was no problem. I've spent far too much time in there, I know how awful it can be."

"You two sent cards?" Ron asked angrily, a beat behind the conversation. "How come no one asked me to sign one?"

I exchanged a quick grin with Hermione before I ducked out of the conversation, managing my way across the room and catching Fred and Lee in the middle of a story about Kenneth's sleep-talking. Ginny, her boyfriend Michael, and Ernie Macmillan were roaring in laughter.

"Thanks for sneaking me out," I said to George as I grabbed onto his arm for support. "I needed this."

He winked at me as Harry clapped his hands, calling for everyone's attention. "All right guys, today, we're going to be working on casting a full, corporeal patronus! No, I don't want to hear that. No great witch or wizard every accomplished anything right away…"

My relinquished my hold on George and clasped the book charm, unsure whether or not my hands were shaking from fear or excitement.

"Okay, let's get started!" Harry said, and the crowd dispersed.

This time, Luna came to me. "Partners?" she asked in her dreamy voice.

"Definitely," I grinned. "Hey, I wanted to thank you for the card by the way, it was my favorite."

Her face lit up.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading! I'll love you to the moon and back if you just drop a quick review to let me know your thoughts! Up next: Prudence returns to classes, Lee is lovesick, and Gemma is Noel's long lost twin sister. Just kidding about the last bit, but seriously, stay tuned!**


	14. A Double-Edged Sword

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR!**

* * *

"Damnit!" I cried, flinging my wand onto my bed in frustration. Noel poked her head out of the bathroom where she was going through her nightly beauty routine. I could barely see the counter beneath all of her lotions, potions, and makeup bottles.

"Prudence, it's only been a week since you got hit with that curse. You just got discharged from the Hospital Wing this morning! Obviously your magical strength is going to be weakened," she reasoned as she dabbed at her skin with a white cotton pad. Layers of foundation scrubbed off, revealing the galaxy of freckles spread across her cheeks.

I sighed. "I know, I just really want to be able to do this. I've been wanting to learn what my patronus is since I was thirteen. I mean, I think it has hooves of some kind…I just hope it's a horse and not something like a goat or a sheep."

Grace, who had walked in a short time ago and proceeded to barricade herself behind her bed hangings, snorted. "I think a sheep would suit you perfectly."

Without a word, Noel stormed out of the bathroom and ripped the curtains apart, fixing Grace with a cold-hearted stare. "You know Grace, it's a really good thing no one fucking asked you, or else I would have to point out that if, and only if, you're ever magically capable of a full corporeal patronus, which I highly doubt since you only made it to NEWT level thanks to me, you'd be lucky to have a sheep be yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed, trying to straighten out her hair. She obviously hadn't expected Noel's attack, even though she'd been raring for one. Noel had been ignoring her goading for weeks.

"Let's see, you're weak-minded, desperate, crave attention in all the wrong places, have no problem cutting ties with people who have stuck by you through thick and thin, blindly follow others for no reason other than they have a nice bum and play quidditch, you're not too intelligent – what was it, three OWLs? – and you have no real friends because you're so vain and vapid that no one actually knows what you're really like. I think a rat would be perfect for you," Noel said evenly, not looking the least bit shaky, even though I could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

Grace tossed down her magazine and stood, the strap of her silk nightgown slipping down her arm. "Of course, who can speak down to someone like that? Only the great Noel Dalton! Perfect body, perfect mind. Oh but wait, this is the girl who had no problem shagging Patrick behind my back despite her "love" for Martin. That's pretty shallow and heartless. Perhaps a crocodile for you, dear?"

"You didn't even like Patrick, you just wanted ties to a quidditch player and access to his money. He pursued me for an entire year – that's right! And I ignored it because of you, but you never made a move, you were far too interested in all the Durmstrang boys, so I finally decided to do something for myself. You'll have to let it go eventually, or else you'll wind up a bitter, lonely, old, hag." Despite her plain face, messy hair, and lack of height without her heels on, Noel still managed to radiate power and confidence.

I sat, propped up on my elbows on my bed, afraid to move lest I be noticed and brought into the argument.

"At least the Durmstrang boys paid attention to me. You couldn't get Martin after six years of trying, and you couldn't hold on to Patrick. Now all you've got is some ugly, pathetic loser who drools like a dog every time he sees you." The smugness in Grace's eyes shone through in a cloud of utter cruelty.

Noel was not deterred. "I _dumped _Patrick you complete and total bint! Or did you conveniently forget that part, like you conveniently forgot that you fancied Lee for the better part of the past three years? You spread rumors about Alicia Spinnet's sexuality because you were so jealous he took her to the Yule Ball. When will the jealousy and lies end with you?"

Grace tossed back her blonde mane. "Jealous?" she sniffed. "There's not much to be jealous of. All I see is a girl with a psychotic mother, whose only friend is a socially incapacitated loser, and got knocked up by her boyfriend who dumped her the second something better came along."

Silence. It rung in my ears as Noel's arms dropped to her sides. The look of defeat on her face gripped my insides like a vice. Then, without warning, her right hand flew up and smacked Grace clear across the face. "If you _ever_ bring that up again, I will put you in the Hospital Wing, and don't think I won't. I could kill you right now, you little-"

"NOEL!" I screamed, finally coming to my senses. "Noel, stop. She could take these threats to Sprout and you could get in serious trouble," I pleaded, hoping she would see reason. I'd never been scared of her until now. I was admittedly thankful that her wand was six feet away on her desk.

"She wouldn't dare," Noel said, speaking to me but looking at her, an ominous glint in her eye. "With all the rules she's broken over the years, which I, along with dozens of other people, were eyewitnesses to, I could get her suspended indefinitely, maybe even expelled."

Grace, one hand to her cheek, grabbed her wand and magazine. "You're fucking crazy. If you want to hit me again, I'll be sleeping with _Martin_. Make sure you knock first."

Without even throwing on a robe or putting on shoes, Grace stalked out the door and down the hall, her self-righteous huffs echoing in the tunnel. "Noel, did you leave out a huge portion of the conversation when you were explaining your relationship with Dash to me?"

"I took care of it," she said stiffly, sitting down on her bed. Some sort of odd gasping sound escaped me. "It happened in the spring of his seventh year. He'd just gotten a deal with the Tornadoes, and he brought me into his room to tell me that he was dumping me effective immediately. When I tried to leave, he locked the door. Guess he thought he could have his cake and eat it too."

Suddenly she crumpled, her body wracking with silent sobs. Stunned, I crossed the space between our beds, settling beside her and rubbing her back. "Noel, it's okay," I said quietly. "Everything is going to be okay."

Wordlessly, she curled up beside me and wept into my lap, drenching my cotton pajama pants in her tears. I continued to soothe her the best that I could, wondering what else had happened right under my nose, wondering how I had been so oblivious to the pain that Noel had been carrying for two years.

* * *

"Morning," I said with a yawn as I slumped down next to George. A steaming cup of tea was already waiting for me, its smoky tendrils curling up to the ceiling. I took a sip gratefully, reveling in the taste of caffeine. Noel had kept me up fairly late last night, not that I really minded. It was nice to know she felt so connected with me that she would trust me enough to let her guard down like that.

Lee's brow furrowed. "Why are you alone? Where's Noel?"

Fred snorted into his pancakes. "Never miss a beat, do you?"

"He's probably got a sensor that goes off every time she comes within fifty feet of him," George added with a smirk.

"Perhaps we should invent that!" A greedy gleam had taken residence in Fred's eyes.

George rubbed his palms together eagerly. "We could make so much money!"

Ignoring them both, I decided to humor Lee. "She's not feeling well. She'll be in bed all day, I expect."

"I can bring her soup! And read trashy magazines to her! And give her foot rubs and stuff! Oi, why didn't you say something sooner?" Lee demanded, already half out of his seat.

With a sigh, I set down my cup of tea. "Lee, that's sweet and all, but she _really _wants to be alone. You know, she doesn't want anyone to see her looking anything less than perfect." I threw in the last bit to make it seem more plausible. It appeared to work, because both Fred and George rolled their eyes and returned to their breakfasts.

"Well I don't want to upset her," Lee said sadly. "I guess maybe…I'll just stop by after classes are over?"

He looked like a puppy that had just been abandoned by its mother. "I'm sure that would be fine," I said finally. Hopefully Noel could pull it together by that point. She'd ignored all of my attempts to get her out of bed this morning; not even my threats of letting Grace win could get her attention. I gave up after thirty minutes and simply refilled her water glass before I left, placing it next to a box of tissues. Was that the kind of thing you did for a friend? I didn't know. It's what I would want if our roles were reversed.

"Let's head to charms, shall we?" George suggested smoothly, having finally decided to stop taking the mickey out of his friend.

Fred nodded and rose, stuffing several biscuits into his mouth as he did so. I didn't miss the look of disgust that came from Angelina, and neither did he. He winked at her and flipped her hair over her shoulder playfully. Lee continued to look miserable.

"He _really _fancies her, doesn't he?" I asked George under my breath.

"Poor bloke. Sometimes he says her name in his sleep," he confided, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets.

I blinked. Noel and Lee had been snogging and all that, but I didn't think Noel really took it as anything more than a fling. Besides, with Dash's reappearance, I didn't think she was all too fond of the idea of another serious relationship. "This is bad."

"He's going to get his hopeful little heart crushed," George agreed with a nod.

There was an uncomfortably large pit of guilt in my stomach that contracted every time Lee's eyes wandered to Noel's empty seat.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me," I said quietly as I hurried her into the kitchens. The Slytherins had been extremely nasty ever since Montague had put me into the Hospital Wing, and I didn't like walking around much on my own.

The Slytherins had been boisterous and rowdy lately; there was more energy there, but it was a negative energy. One that seemed threatening, almost…ominous. They no longer walked the corridors with scowls upon their faces, but strutted past us with smirks, like they knew something we didn't. It made me nervous.

Today had been my first potions class since the incident, which meant it was the first time I'd had to see him. He had actually tried to take a seat at our table; Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Janice, and Lee had hurriedly filled in all the empty spots much to my relief. Snape, of course, docked 10 points away from Gryffindor for disturbing the peace and getting in his way (even though he was sitting at his desk), but it was nice to feel protected.

"Of course," Gemma said briskly, settling into one of two chairs by a corner table. She crossed her legs, revealing stylish, black heeled boots, and smoothed her hair down. "It's been awful in the common room lately. Everyone's crowing on and on about Umbridge. Malfoy keeps saying how it won't be long until Dumbledore's gone, and I don't know what he means by that."

I could suddenly feel my heart beating in my throat. "Gone? Like…Azkaban? Or killed? There's no way the Death Eaters would come after him. That would be a suicide mission."

Gemma didn't look convinced. "I'm a half-blood like you, so I'm considered an outsider, but even I know that some of the children of You-Know-Who's inner circle live here, and I'm sure they have a better idea than anyone what's going on. Something's being planned, I know it. They're all behaving so oddly."

"So you think something is happening too? Or is about to happen?" I asked her eagerly.

"Prudence…Cedric didn't just die in that maze. It was the Avada Kedavra curse, a Death Eater specialty. None of the other people who were in that maze had cast that spell; their wands were checked. And there were professors walking the perimeter, they would have heard or seen _something,_" she reasoned. "That's why I believe the Potter kid about the whole portkey thing. Who would make that up? They'd have to be sick in the head."

I placed my hands lightly on the table, trying to keep them from shaking. Even now, hearing his death mentioned casually made me tremble. I got the urge to cry but swallowed it, blinking my eyes furiously. "Yes but, you think he's back, don't you? You-Know-Who?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I think he's back. I don't know how, just that he is. The Slytherins are different this year. Of course the younger ones have no idea what's going on, but Montague, Pucey, and Flint especially have been walking around like kings. They love Umbridge too; listen, she was a Slytherin when she went here. She's published articles about the importance of bloodline purity for the Prophet, and been vocal about wanting to change the schooling policy in the past. She's not a Death Eater, but she's definitely on their side."

I scoffed. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"We should be grateful for Fudge, actually. He won't be around forever. Whoever comes after him is going to be worse, especially if the wizarding world stays in denial," Gemma said with a shrug. Her face remained impassive, but her foot was tapping the floor nervously.

"Gemma, how do you know so much about this?" This was all very odd. Here was a Slytherin, sitting witha Hufflepuff and discussing the return of the wizarding world's greatest villain without any relish or desire.

Her fingers moved nimbly as she tied her dark hair into a loose chignon. "My father. He went to school with Umbridge, was in her year. And he never bought into the heritage bollocks, so he was always going against her and getting her in trouble with professors. I must be the only Slytherin she's chucked into detention."

My eyes strayed to her left hand, where tiny, pink lines were etched into her skin like an infected tattoo. "What did you do?"

"I interfered when Malfoy and his thugs were trying to dock points from a first year for being Muggle-born, and I ended up having to jinx them to avoid getting cursed myself," she said with a sigh.

"Hogwarts isn't home anymore." The words sat in the air for a moment as I stared into the roaring flames of the fire.

Gemma nodded. "Trelawney's probably going to be gone soon. And now that Hagrid's back, I'm sure she'll find a reason to get rid of him."

I rubbed my eyes in frustration. I was sick of trying to piece together some big conspiracy theory; I just wanted to graduate and get into Healing school. "But why would she want to do that? Why does she care?"

"Prudence, she's not here to keep an eye on Dumbledore, she's here to get rid of him. Fudge can't have anyone challenging him, or else he's going to be ousted in a day. But if he's able to keep Dumbledore from convincing people we're in danger, his sacred position is safe. Umbridge is cutting off all of Dumbledore's legs so to speak, anyone who is important to him or helps him. She'll probably try for McGonagall too, but we both know that's never going to happen."

I took out a scrap of parchment and a quill from my bag, scrawling down everything that Gemma had just told me. The clues that I had been piecing together to find out what happened to Cedric had spiraled into an entire investigation of the return of You-Know-Who. I now had twelve pieces of parchment all glued together to form one giant poster, with lines drawn from news articles to quotes from text books to every fleeting thought I've had in the past three months.

After several minutes of scribbling onto the paper, I looked up to find her staring at me. "What?"

"Are you sure you weren't supposed to be in Ravenclaw?" she asked, eyeing my notes. Even my jottings were neat and organized.

I shrugged. "The Sorting Hat told me I could be in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor. I knew I wouldn't be smart enough to keep up with the Ravenclaws and I wouldn't fit in with the Gryffindors because I just wanted to keep to myself. The table of kids dressed in yellow looked so calm and orderly in comparison to the rest of the hall, so I chose Hufflepuff."

"Not Slytherin though, eh?" she asked. I shook my head.

She hummed slightly, turning her gaze towards the fire as she sat back. "I don't think you have a dark bone in your body, Turner."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Perhaps."

* * *

I returned to my dormitory that night to find Noel still lying in bed. She looked virtually unchanged from the position she was in this morning. Grace's bed had not been disturbed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked gently as I sat at the foot of her bed.

Noel's strawberry blonde mane was greasy and unkempt, and she had large bags beneath her eyes. "Great."

We were quiet for a moment. "Did Lee stop in today?"

"Yep. Sent him away after fifteen minutes. Bloody annoying."

I didn't want to respond to that statement, so I changed the topic. "Do you think that you could manage a shower? I think it'd make you feel better," I coaxed. She shrugged. "Come on Noel, this isn't you. You don't mope or sulk or pity yourself. You always find a way to keep going."

Noel grumbled inaudibly and I tugged her quilt down. With a sigh, she slid her feet onto the carpet and shuffled into the bathroom. Once I heard the tell-tale squeak of the shower knob, I dug a pair of fresh pajamas out of her wardrobe and set them on her bed, then changed her sheets, which the house elves had been unable to do this morning as she hadn't left it.

This taking care of someone else was second nature to me. I'd been doing it for my mother for years, although she never recognized that I was there. As Noel shuffled out of the bathroom a few minutes later, her hair dripping down her back, I handed her the clothes wordlessly, retreating to my own bed.

I tried to speak to her when she came out fully dressed, but she turned off the lights and climbed back under her covers, yanking her hangings shut. With a sigh I did the same and rolled onto my side. What was I supposed to do?

Squeezing my eyes shut, I gripped at the locket and wondered what my mother would do. Wondered if she'd ever had a similar situation with her best friend, Amelia Bones. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by a frustrated Noel. "Get your lazy arse up, Turner! We've got Charms first thing and I didn't do my homework. I need to copy yours at breakfast."

"Noel, you always have your homework done... Am I to assume you're feeling better?" I yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes, blearily looking up at her from my position under my warm covers. Too early.

"I didn't do my homework yesterday, obviously." She rolled her eyes. "Now get up or I'll make you."

As she brandished her wand, which seemed to wink at me in a forbidding fashion. I leapt out of bed so quickly I may as well have been competing for the national gymnastics team. "Just let me get dressed okay? I'd quite like to stay dry."

Fifteen minutes later I was yanking on my second shoe as I tried to follow Noel out the door. She was storming down the hall in her highest but most school appropriate shoes (black wedges) and had done a full blowout on her hair. If this were a film, I would be the pimply, glasses-ridden teenager stumbling around after their model-esque best mate.

I had no idea how Noel went from one extreme to the other so quickly, but I didn't really have time to dwell on it. "Oi, slow down please, I'm only half dressed!" I hissed after her, doing up the last button on my shirt and slinging my tie around my neck.

"Yeah, no one wants to see that," Patrick drawled from an arm chair. Noel stopped abruptly and turned to him, ready to fight in her typical fashion, but I pressed my hand to her arm. She'd already defended me once against Grace and had holed herself up in bed for an entire day as a result.

With a sigh, I finished knotting my tie and turned to him. "Come on Patrick. You're better than that. You're not cruel or petty. You're smart and athletic and loyal. You're a Hufflepuff. So act like it."

My hands shook as I forced myself to keep walking, and I wrapped them in the straps of my satchel to steady them. If that's what standing up for yourself was like, I wasn't sure I would ever do it again. My heart was racing at the speed of light.

"Okay, what was that?" Noel demanded as she caught up to me. "Since when are you no longer afraid of your own shadow?"

"Leave me alone, Noel!" I barked at her as we hastened across the Entrance Hall. She raised a brow. "Sorry. But you shouldn't mock me for being afraid of things. Most people are afraid of something."

She nodded thoughtfully, then without another word walked over to the Gryffindor bench and slid in beside Lee, who was so thrilled that he choked on his muffin.

"Prudence talked back to Patrick," Noel announced to the table with a flip of her hair. She ignored my glare and instead began to spoon some porridge into a bowl.

"Did she now?" George asked, his eyes following my methodical movement of tea making.

I refused to look up at him. "He was being petty and rude, and I'm tired of it. Why are we all mocking each other? Why do we feel the need to tear each other apart and make everyone feel small? If we're about to have a war, you'd think we should be focusing on banding together."

"Hear hear!" Fred cried gallantly, lifting his goblet of pumpkin juice into the air with so much gusto that it sloshed over the sides and splattered across Ginny's hair. She punched him and then dumped her eggs into his lap.

"You lot are no better!" I said, cutting off George who had begun to open his mouth. Fred brushed the eggs onto the floor. "You've been on my case like crazy lately about Gemma."

Lee set down his fork. "Because you can't trust a Slytherin, no matter what they say! One of them put you in the bloody Hospital Wing, Prudence."

"Thanks for reminding me, but funnily enough I hadn't forgotten," I stated bitterly. Ginny snorted. "And yes, _one _of them. If every single student that was in Slytherin house left school and became seriously evil and depraved, we wouldn't be functioning as a society. Just because the colors of your robes are scarlet doesn't mean you have to be a prejudiced git."

They all fell silent. George was looking at me so intensely that I blushed and brought my gaze to my tea. I pretended that stirring the tea bag was the most interesting thing in the world.

Noel, whose eyes had been narrowed, straightened up suddenly as the mail arrived. "Oh, excellent! That'll be my mother with her answer."

"Answer about what?" Fred asked through a mouthful of bread.

"The Christmas holidays, Fred," she responded with a roll of her eyes, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He mimicked her dramatically while she untied a scroll of parchment from the leg of an exquisite looking screech owl.

My heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach. The holidays were very nearly here. While most people loved them, I hated them. I never went home if I could help it, which meant I resided in a practically empty castle. My father could care less where I was or what I was doing, and if I had to ask him to pick me up at King's Cross then I feared for his reaction. Not to mention, the only person I had ever exchanged a gift with in the past fourteen years wasn't here. I would never get to watch his face light up as though I had just purchased him the moon. I took a hasty sip of tea and winced as the heat burned my throat.

"I suppose you'll be going home, then?" I inquired as politely as I could, trying not to sound hostile.

Noel cocked her head. "Yes, and you'll be coming too."

I blinked. "Erm, what?"

"Just read this and try not to have a brain aneurysm," she said with a smirk as she handed me the letter.

_Hello Darling!_

_I'm so thrilled you'll be coming home this year, I was terribly sad when you decided to stay at school last year for that fancy tournament. Your father and I are well, we just got back from our cruise in the Bahamas and we are so tan you won't even recognize us!_

_Anyway, if your new friend wants to come home with you, that's fine by me. I ran it by your father, and he says he'll have the guest room closest to yours prepared immediately. What does she like to eat? Drink? Read? How does she dress? We can send Marinella out to buy some things tomorrow._

_I've got to go, sugarbunch, I've got a meeting with a florist in twenty minutes and I don't have the power of disappearing and reappearing wherever I want like you and your father!_

_Kisses,_

_Mum_

A slow smile spread across my face. "Noel, I didn't even know you'd asked."

"Yes, well, what good would it do if you were bored and stuck at school and I was bored and stuck at home? At least this way we'll be bored together," she said in a drawling voice, looking extremely satisfied with herself.

I suppressed an excited giggle and squelched my laughter with a sip of tea.

"Shall we go to class?" George asked finally, offering me his arm. I took it and followed him out of the hall, practically bouncing as I walked. I couldn't remember the last time I was so happy.

"Ow! Noel, was that necessary?" Lee asked as he whimpered in pain.

I could hear her eye roll as she trailed after us. "You should know better than to get handsy with me in public."

Lee grunted to himself and sped up his walk until his pace was even with ours.

"Ouch," I said with a shake of my head.

"Brutal, mate," George agreed from my other side.

He sulked. "You guys are mean."

Fred batted his lashes at him.

* * *

"George, if you don't quit playing with my hair, then I'm going to throw you out!" I threatened, whacking his hand away for the seventh time.

"I'm sorry, it's just so silky," he said, letting it fall between his fingertips.

He had insisted on walking me back to my dormitory after classes. Thanks to Montague, I no longer did my homework in the library, and if I was testing products for the twins, they brought them here. Today, however, it was just George and I. Fred was off somewhere with Angelina and I was fairly sure that Lee and Noel were occupying the hidden corridor behind the tapestry of Erg the Effervescent.

I leaned my head against his arm, suddenly exhausted. I was getting back all of my magical abilities, but it was still draining to perform magic, and Charms seemed extra long this morning because of it.

George patted the top of my head. "You want me to leave?"

"No," I yawned, and he snorted. "I don't want to sleep. I've still got Transfiguration to do." My eyes drifted to the half-done paper that lay on my end-side table. I'd abandoned it when George had suggested a game of Exploding Snap earlier.

"So what happened with Noel?" he asked. "I mean, what is she doing? One minute she's sick and the next she's an angel from hell and storming the castle, literally."

I shrugged, my right arm only coming up halfway as it was pressed against his side. "She's…being brave. I wish I was as brave as her. She should honestly be in Gryffindor with you lot."

George shook his head as I yawned again. "You are brave. I'll prove it to you. BOO!"

"George!" I scowled as I jumped, retrieving my wand which had rolled onto the floor.

"Really though, you're plenty brave. What makes you think you're not?" he asked.

We'd been having more of these serious conversations ever since I'd told him about my mother. I hoped it lasted. It made me feel better to get my thoughts out in the open. "Well for starters, I'm afraid of almost everything. People, places, things, if it's a noun I'm probably terrified of it."

He was quiet for a few seconds, as though he were thinking carefully about his words. "I think it takes a lot more courage to live with fear than to live without it. Being fearless doesn't make you any better. It just makes you more likely to die a horrific, horrific death."

"You're a lunatic."

George winked. "And you love it."

The thing was, I did.

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN, did Prudence really just admit that?!**

**I am SO sorry I've been gone for two weeks. I just wasn't in the right mental state to write anything even vaguely comedic. I was in a slump I guess you could say. But I'm back and better than ever, so get ready for the decorating of the castle, the Christmas holidays, meeting Noel's parents, and oh yes, that little part where Arthur gets attacked. I love you all and if anyone is still reading please drop me a review and make me smile (EVEN THOUGH I DON'T DESERVE IT).**


	15. Overwhelmed

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. The quote in italics towards the middle of the chapter is from Toni Morrison's, The Bluest Eye, which I also do not own but highly recommend you read. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Your other left," I told Martin through gritted teeth, trying to keep my temper in check.

With a roll of his eyes, the quidditch player raised the gigantic Christmas wreath on the opposite side.

"Not my fault you can't think on a pre-school level," I muttered under my breath, wandering over to Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan.

Hannah waved cheerfully from beneath an armful of boughs. "Hi Prudence! Where should these go?"

"Erm…over there, I think, where Charles is hanging things over the door." The prefects were in charge of decorating the castle, and as not all of the younger prefects were adept at locomotion and semi-permanent sticking charms, Jennifer had insisted that we do everything the Muggle way.

All it was doing for me was making me feel ill. My head was pounding, my throat burned, and I shivered every other minute. It didn't help that the Hufflepuff prefects were doing most of the work; Gemma was the only Slytherin prefect who actually showed up, most of the Ravenclaws claimed they were too busy studying to decorate, and many of the Gryffindors, like Ron, were goofing around.

"Ron! Focus please, and help me with this snowflake. The glitter keeps falling off!" Hermione admonished as Ron created a beard out of pinecones and holly.

"I finished hanging all of the wreaths. Should I get started on the fake snow?" Martin asked stiffly. We had been doing our rounds separately since the falling out in September, and this was the first time we had been forced to interact since then. It wasn't going too well.

I glanced around the Entrance Hall, trying to ignore the throbbing at the back of my skull. "Yes, that would be good. Then after that, Hagrid will be needing help with the trees in the Great Hall."

"Yes _ma'am_," he said sarcastically, and turned on his heel. I held my hands up in the air as though to strangle him, and heard laughter from behind me.

"I would be like that as well if Pucey was actually here," Gemma said. "Fortunately for me, I believe he's sleeping off his hangover in the dungeons. Perhaps it's best that way; my silencing spells last for hours, and I get tired of his voice very quickly."

We shared a grin. She was the only thing making this process tolerable. "At least we're almost done. Charles is putting the finishing touches on."

"Thank Merlin," she replied, and we both turned around in time to see a massive drift of snow swirl down from the ceiling and bury two Ravenclaws beneath it.

"MARTIN!" Jennifer bellowed from her place atop the Grand Staircase. She flung her clipboard aside and stalked down the steps toward the frightened quidditch player, her face already an angry shade of red.

Just at this moment, Fred and George wandered around the corner casually. "Prudence love!" Fred cried jovially.

"Did you guys just frame Martin?" I asked dryly, folding my arms across my chest.

"Why yes, we did!" they said together, exchanging a gleeful look.

Gemma snorted. "Where's an Order of Merlin when you need one?"

I tensed as the twins' attention turned to her. They had been slightly less vocal about their hatred for all of Slytherin house since I had scolded them, but had not yet missed an opportunity to glare at her whenever we were together.

"I don't believe we've met." George offered his hand, his voice now empty of mirth.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Gemma carefully took his hand and shook it. "Gemma Farley."

Fred presented his hand as well, and then Gemma left to help unearth the Ravenclaw prefects, whose heads were now sticking out of the pile of snow. The girl was wailing.

"Thank you," I said quietly, and the both nodded before a violent shiver overtook my body. "Eurgh."

"Are you cold? Take my jumper," George said as he shrugged off his sweater, handing it to me.

I accepted it, my cheeks warm, and slid it on. "I think I'm getting sick. I feel awful."

The twins winced as I let out a forceful sneeze. "I think we'll be going then," Fred said nervously.

"Feel free to keep the sweater…or burn it…whatever you see fit!" George called over his shoulder as the two hightailed it toward Gryffindor Tower.

I glanced down at myself. George's jumper absolutely dwarfed me. The hem fell down to my thighs, and the sleeves had to be rolled up three times for my fingers to be visible. It smelled of the smoke from their new fireworks product, and also of pine. My stomach contracted painfully as I shifted and the necklace bounced lightly on my collarbone.

"Jennifer, may I be excused from my duties? I think I'm going to be sick." Luckily, she was so frazzled over the twins' distraction that she waved me away. Without so much as a glance backward I walked as fast as I could toward the common room, the throbbing now a vicious roar between my ears.

I barely even spared a look at Grace, who rolled her eyes and laughed at my appearance as I came through the tunnel. "Are you shagging Weasley now? But wait, what about Cedric?"

The entire room went silent, and I gave a shaky exhale.

"Not cool, Grace," Patrick muttered, getting up and exiting the same way I came. Terrence followed suit.

"Some people are so touchy," she sniffed, fluffing her hair as I forced myself to keep walking. She wasn't worth it.

Suddenly, as I opened the door to the dormitory, I felt a strong wave of nausea pass through me and I sprinted into the bathroom, completely ignoring the heated snogging session happening in Noel's bed. I emptied my stomach contents into the toilet, my throat burning and my eyes watering. My legs groaned in protest as I tried to stand, so I settled for sitting on the ledge of the small tub, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"…Prudence?" Noel knocked on the door and poked her head in. She tried not to grimace at the smell. "I sent Lee out. Are you okay?"

I wanted to speak but my stomach was still churning dangerously, so I shook my head. Then I lurched over the toilet again. Cringing slightly, she lifted my hair away from my neck and patted me gingerly on the back.

"Just, er, get it all out then," she said in a strained voice.

With one last retch it was over, and I felt strangely empty. "Noel," I tried. "I feel awful."

"Well yeah, I think the toilet would attest to that," she said, her tone sarcastic but her eyes sympathetic.

I wiped my sweaty hair off of my forehead. "Not just that. Look whose sweater I'm wearing."

Noel nodded slowly and bit her lip. "Goes great with that necklace, huh?"

I didn't understand how I could have been so wrong about Noel for all these years and never have known how intelligent and empathetic a person she was. She always knew exactly what I was talking about, even if I didn't say much, and she always knew the right words to speak.

"I just - I feel like I'm not even myself anymore, and I realize how dumb that sounds, but… I can't even remember the last afternoon I spent doing my homework in the library, or the last time I read a book as I ate alone, or how his voice sounds when he says my name. I can't remember how he smells, or what his touch feels like. I can't remember Noel. I've forgotten." My lip trembled.

Noel's mouth was slightly open. "Prudence…"

"And I hate myself, because while I'm sure his parents are still mourning, I'm getting butterflies in my stomach from the way _George_ says my name, and from when he touches me. He's just so…unlike any other person I've met, he's so brave and kind and funny, but then I start thinking, well Cedric was all those things too, and then I understand why I care for them both, and then I remember that Cedric's gone and that it would be completely unfair of me to even think about George like that because I still think of _Cedric_ like that, not that George even likes me or anything so it doesn't even matter but I am literally sick of feeling like such a terrible person," I burst out, wiping my clammy palms furiously along the length of my uniform skirt.

I tried to get back on my feet but got lightheaded and fell backwards against the wall. "Perhaps bed would be a more suitable place for you right now," Noel said lightly, grabbing onto my elbows and leading me out of the loo.

"Am I a terrible person?" I asked as I stumbled into my bed. I kicked my shoes off and allowed her to pull the covers over me.

Her lips pursed. "No. Matter of fact, I guarantee Cho is feeling the same way."

My brow furrowed. "Really? Does she fancy someone else?"

"Harry Potter," she said with a shrug.

I blinked. "Oh."

"We can't help who we have feelings for. You shouldn't feel poorly for being human. George hasn't exactly been making it easy for you. He walks you everywhere, and makes you your tea in the morning, and always comes over and sits in your bed. He knows what he's doing but I don't think he's taking your feelings into account." She perched herself on the edge of my bed and summoned me a glass of water.

I took a tiny sip to soothe my throat, which felt as though a fire had raged through it. "George…likes me?"

"Of course I can't be sure," she said with a shrug. "But you definitely hold his interest, let's put it that way. If you want him to stop, you just have to treat him very platonically, make your stance known. Unless you don't want him to stop, in which case, keep doing what you're doing."

I frowned. "What am I doing?"

Noel smirked. "Being you. I don't know, maybe it's that whole innocent, doe-eyed thing you've got going on. Or the fact that you're extremely responsible, patient, well-read, quiet, all the things that he's not. You fascinate him."

My stomach did not like the news I was receiving. Noticing my despairing look, she patted my hand. "I can't relate to e_xactly _what you're feeling, but I keep feeling guilty too, about Lee."

"Because you still care for Dash?" I asked as straight-forward as possible. Noel hated it if it seemed like I was pitying her even in the slightest, so I tried to keep my tone even.

"Unfortunately." She looked as though she'd tasted something bitter. "But a part of me will always care for him I think. For the moments when he was sober, and kind, and honest. Not for the bad moments. Not for the drunk ones. Or the angry ones. And I've just told myself that Lee and I aren't serious, so it's all right."

I placed the goblet down on the endside table. "Do you want to be serious with Lee?" I asked slyly.

She whacked me very gently with a pillow. "No. He's too goofy. He's like a puppy dog. I need a man in control. But not too much control that I can't tear it away from him," she responded with a wink.

"Okay…I get it. I think I actually feel better. Thanks Noel." I kept my gaze directed at the sheets.

"Any time. And about the whole not-feeling-like-yourself thing, maybe it's not so bad to change. If you're happier now, that's all that matters." With an almost shy smile, she closed my curtains and left the room, shutting off the lights.

I rolled onto my side and inhaled the scent of pine. Was I happier without Cedric? I didn't think I wanted to answer that.

* * *

I awoke early the next morning to the sounds of Noel's deep breathing. A glance out of my hangings showed it was still dark, but I felt too uncomfortable to sleep. My skin was covered in a cold sweat, and goose bumps raced down my arms and legs. My head still throbbed, my stomach contents were swimming, and my throat felt raw.

After a sip of water and a summoned wash cloth for my face, I turned over and attempted to drift back into my dreams until the cool metal of the book charm slid down the chain and over my collarbone. It was then that I remembered I was still wearing George's jumper, and my skin crawled.

I needed to make a choice, but I didn't want to. There were a lot of absences in my life: my mother, my father, my childhood, now Cedric. Was it selfish of me to not want to give him up? I mean, I couldn't just forget him because he wasn't here.

But did that mean I supposed to cling on to his memory even when I could hardly remember how his voice sounded, or how he looked when he smiled at me? My head gave a powerful throb and I tore off the sweater, tossing it on the floor.

I would think about this later.

* * *

"No tea, please," I managed weakly as I lowered myself onto the bench. The smell of bacon, syrup, and eggs was nauseating enough without actually putting it into my system.

"Still feeling like arse?" Fred inquired through a mouthful of food.

I forced my gag reflex to stay in check. "Unfortunately, which should make Potions absolutely thrilling today."

"Hey, we have today, tomorrow, and then it's the holidays! Cheer up!" I stiffened as George wrapped his arm around me.

Ducking out from under him, I ruffled around in my satchel and retrieved his jumper. "Here. Thanks for this."

He took it with a questioning brow. "Someone's feeling friendly this morning."

"Just trying not to projectile vomit on everyone," I muttered, and pulled my book out in an attempt to distract my stomach from its inner turmoil that suddenly had nothing to do with actual illness.

"_She left me the way people leave a hotel room. A hotel room is a place to be when you are doing something else. Of itself it is of no consequence to one's major scheme. A hotel room is convenient. But its convenience is limited to the time you need it while you are in that particular town on that particular business; you hope it is comfortable, but prefer, rather, that it be anonymous. It is not, after all, where you live."_

I glanced around to make sure no one was looking over my shoulder, and dog-eared the page for later. Maybe Cedric was my hotel room. Maybe I had been his. Did I still need it? Clearly he didn't still need me. My stomach raged again, and I pushed back from the table.

"If I sit here any longer, I swear I'll be sick. Lee, are you coming?"

With a nod, he crammed a slice of toast into his mouth and we departed from the hall as fast as I thought my body would allow.

We walked mainly in silence, as Lee was too busy chewing to hold conversation, but I winced every time we rounded a corner, afraid that every footstep was going to be a person pointing a wand at my skull. I'd been pretending to be fine, but in reality I was terrified of everything tenfold since I'd been cursed. I knew that defensively I had the upper hand thanks to Harry and the DA, but I was afraid of not having the courage to actually execute the spells.

All too late, I realized Lee was speaking. "I'm so sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you what I should get Noel for Christmas." His brown eyes were eager.

I turned away. "Oh, you know, I'm not sure that's such a great idea…"

He stopped me as we approached our classroom. Charles Goldstein and Jennifer Mickelson passed us, the latter shooting us a dirty look for getting in their way. "Prudence, please. I've never felt this way about a girl before. It's like the second I see her, all my confidence just goes out the window, and I forget how to act. I need to get her something that tells her how serious I am about my feelings for her, because I know she thinks we're just a fling. I need to show her that we're not."

"I…" I chewed on my lip as I tried to keep the nausea at bay. I could tell Lee the truth, that Noel couldn't handle anything long-term right now, but that would require an explanation I wasn't allowed to give. But who knows? Maybe Noel would suddenly change her mind. Lee would certainly be good for her. What was the harm?

"Okay, well, the thing is not to get her something materialistic. She'll be getting plenty of thinks like blouses and purses and shoes already I'm sure, so whatever you get her needs to be…sentimental. And thoughtful. A gift that actually matter to her. Do you know what I mean?"

Lee scrunched his brow up. "Yeah…yeah! Damn you're good. Now hurry up or we'll be late! Oh, sorry," he muttered hastily as I gagged from the force of his back clap.

With a ginormous sigh, I trudged after him into Snape's classroom.

* * *

The day was a blur. I barely made it through potions without getting sick. The only reason I managed an Exceeds Expectations was because the concoction we brewed was something that every healer needed to know for their entrance exam, and therefore was something I had made before.

Every time Montague saw me now, he would wink, or lick his lips, or snap his teeth at me. He was beyond creepy. I seemed to run into him much more often now, or maybe he just liked to follow me around to torment me.

Umbridge was getting worse as well. Since we were so close to the holidays and everyone was happy, she sought every opportunity to ruin the euphoria. Fred and George both had detentions with her for both Thursday and Friday night along with dozens of other Gryffindors. I'd narrowly escaped one as well; she'd been ready to write me up just for being in the same vicinity as the twins when they were attempting to sell some of their new products in the Viaduct.

Now that their Skiving Snackboxes were nearly complete, they no longer needed me to test their products and were preparing to sell them after the holidays. They'd tried to pay me the other day and I refused. Now that we were friends, it didn't seem right to take their money.

"Oi, what's wrong with you?" George demanded as I ignored his joke about the wench, the hag, and the three-eyed vampire from Australia.

I placed down my quill with more force than necessary. "Maybe I have more important things to do than listen to your jokes right now, George."

His expression grew indignant. "Sorry for trying to cheer you up. You've been ill and moping around all sodding week, and I just wanted to see you smile."

I cradled my head in my hands. This is exactly what I'd been trying to avoid. "I know, and that's nice and everything, but you have no idea what's been going on, all right?"

"Well you can talk to me about it, you know that," George urged, gesturing for me to join him on my bed. He'd followed me in here after classes despite my hinting that I wanted to be alone, and Noel had yet to make an appearance, so we had the room to ourselves.

"I just need time on my own, okay?" I said roughly. I needed him to stop thinking I was 'fascinating.' I needed him to stop believing we were anything more than friends.

He stood abruptly. "Yeah, I get it. I've got detention anyway. Maybe if I'm lucky those new Mimbulus Mimbletonium Sprout gave to her for Christmas will have eaten her or something."

His attempt to joke was dry and his voice lacked any humor. He was upset, and it was because of me. I wanted to tell him to stay, that I would listen to his stupid witticisms and tell him all my problems, but if I did then I would just be leading him on. We could only be friends.

The door closed behind him, and with a cry of frustration I shoved my books and papers off my desk and onto the floor. I yanked off my blouse and skirt, tossed on a faded T-shirt and cotton pajama pants, and crawled into bed despite it only being nine o'clock. I would apologize for my behavior in the morning; that way I could leave for the holidays on good graces, but he would still know that I wanted distance.

When Noel came in an hour later, she saw my closed hangings and said nothing. She simply went through her nightly routine, shut off the lights, and went to sleep. Grace had been living in the seventh year boys' dormitory, and it had been blissfully calm for the last week, although I could see Martin, Patrick, and Terrence growing more and more irritated with her. I didn't blame them.

What felt like an eternity later, as I barely slept the entire night, the sun begin to seep through the heavy, wool curtains surrounding my bed and I allowed myself to get up and shower. The hot water only woke me up slightly, and I was forced to use my wand to rid my face of the hideous bags beneath my eyes.

I looked as terrible as I felt. My damp hair hung lank, my skin was pallid, and my eyes were dull. Despite the humidity of the room, chills wracked my body and I sneezed violently, causing pain to flare up in my throat. I dressed myself in my winter clothing: long underwear, thick, woven pants, my heaviest jumper, wool socks, and a long, knit scarf.

Once I felt sufficiently warm, I set about packing, which I had neglected until the absolute last moment. I hadn't been home for Christmas since I had been at Hogwarts, and I wasn't sure what I would need for the next two weeks. I tiptoed around between my wardrobe and my trunk, piling in blouses, skirts, dresses, pants, knickers, socks, and pajamas. I made sure to pack the fanciest things I owned, as I knew Noel's family had money and I wanted to make a good impression. Still, it took three quarters of an hour to choose, as I couldn't decide what should come with me, and what should stay behind.

Once that was done, I put together my toiletries and sealed the bag with an impermeable charm, tossing them onto the pile. I added the one nice pair of boots I possessed, a pair that had actually been my mother's. I'd found them hidden in our attic last summer and had used magic to suit them to my feet. After another moment's thought, I threw in ten different novels, all of which had been read before but were my personal favorites, before shutting and locking my trunk.

There was a sudden furious knocking at our door, which quickly turned to pounding.

Noel's head shot out from behind her hangings. "Whatimizzit?"

I leapt over various stacks of Noel's belongings, which also had yet to be packed, and wrenched the door open. "Lee?"

He barreled into the room, causing Noel to shriek and retreat behind the curtains before reemerging in a nightgown and hastily applied lipstick.

"Lee, what's wrong? What's happened?" I demanded. He was leaning on his knees and panting, like he'd run the entire way here.

"It's Fred and George," he managed breathlessly. "Their father's been attacked. McGonagall took them all out of the castle about an hour ago, them, Ron, Ginny, and Harry."

Noel frowned. "Harry?"

Lee shook his head, gesturing for us to be patient. "He-he was yelling about a snake, and a dream he had. I think Harry sawthe attack happen in his sleep."

"How could he have seen it happen in his _sleep_?" I asked, my mind whirling at the speed of light.

He sucked in a breath. "I don't know, but whatever you do, stay out of Umbridge's way. She's furious; she actually came all the way to Gryffindor Tower to investigate. She's convinced McGonagall's hiding them all somewhere. Crazy old bat."

"So she didn't know about the attack?" My question came out more eager than I anticipated, and Noel gave me an odd look.

"No, I don't think so. You can't say anything though. Whatever Mr. Weasley was doing, I think it was for Dumbledore, so he wants it kept quiet. I've never seen McGonagall act like that before, like she was actually afraid. It was bloody terrifying."

I sank down onto my bed, tucking my shaking hands beneath my legs. "Is he all right? Mr. Weasley?"

Lee's mouth set into a grim line. "Not sure. We'll have to wait for news from the hospital."

I tried to swallow the bitter taste in my mouth. George was gone, his father could be dead for all I knew, and the last time we'd spoken I'd thrown him out of my room without explanation. I hoped he knew we were still friends. I hoped he knew that I needed him.

Feeling like there were stones settled in the pit of my stomach, I rose and walked out of the dormitory without a final destination in mind. It was only after a solid thirty minutes of wandering that I found myself outside the Room of Requirement that I knew what I could do. I opened the large, rustic door to find a single desk in the center, upon which laid a stack of parchment and a quill already dipped into a pot of ink.

I sat down and started to write.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm terribly sorry for the wait. The end of the semester is approaching which means lots of tests, projects, and papers, but I promise I will be writing in every spare moment of my time! I also want to thank all of those who have reviewed this story, because it's what absolutely forced my get up early this morning and finish this damn chapter! **

**UP NEXT: Prudence's first Christmas out of the castle and with a real family, we meet Noel's parents, gifts are exchanged, and Prudence receives a reply from George. Stay tuned!**


	16. Someone Else's Home for the Holidays

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

I woke early in a cold sweat, starting off my morning exactly as I had for the past three days. It was Tuesday, and the winter holidays were off to an…interesting start.

The castle had been buzzing on Saturday about where Harry Potter and the Weasleys had disappeared to, and why Umbridge was so angry. I'd skipped breakfast to write the letter, which I had all but sprinted to the owlery to deliver, but had heard much speculation on the train home. The Slytherins were spreading a nasty rumor that there had been a death in the family, which actually terrified me because if Mr. Weasley really had been attacked, I would bet the Death Eaters were involved somehow. I still hadn't heard any news from George yet, which only encouraged my paranoia.

I shifted as I tried to block the nightmares out from my mind, somehow managing to be uncomfortable in spite of the king-sized bed and silk sheets that I was sleeping on. As it turned out, Noel's father was the manager for the Weird Sisters, a fact she had hidden from everyone at Hogwarts for the past seven years, and to say their house was large would be a gross understatement. Noel had her own wing. My guest room had a full bath with a Jacuzzi-style tub inside of it. I wasn't used to having all of this space to myself.

Granted, as my father was a heart surgeon, my family had never been poor, but I'd never gotten to share in the wealth either. I shouldn't complain; though my father loathed me, he still paid for my schooling and private ice skating lessons, even if it was only to get me out of his way so he didn't have to see me.

I shifted again, rolling over onto my back and staring up at the ceiling. Shadows played upon it, dancing in the moonlight that was drifting across the room, let in by the balcony door. Yes, the balcony. The guest room (one of many guest rooms) had its own balcony. It overlooked the west gardens. There were east, north, and south gardens as well.

Obsessive as it was, I found myself recounting my words to George for the umpteenth time. It was the only thing that made it possible for me to fall back asleep.

_Dear George, _I'd written. _I hope this letter finds you all right. I have no idea where you are, but I hope it's at your father's side. I heard the news from Lee just now, and I'm terribly sorry. I want you to know that I'm deeply apologetic, both for your father and for the way I treated you yesterday. I'm also sorry if it seems selfish for me to be bothering you with my apology right now; perhaps it is selfish of me to want your forgiveness. _

I cringed, as I always did when I got to that part. It seemed so formal.

_I suppose I owe you an explanation, although I don't know if you want one. I suppose I'll give it to you anyway. I've been thinking a lot lately, about Cedric, and about You-Know-Who and my mother and the war(s). As pathetic as it sounds, it's just too much. And I feel like I've been depending on you for all of it, which is completely unfair to you. I mean, I talked your ear off practically every night these past several weeks, and you were great, but I can't keep doing this to you. I've been thinking that perhaps it would be best if our friendship maintained a bit more distance. We would just spend less time together alone is all. _

That part had been the hardest to write, but I told myself that it was in George's best interest.

_Sorry, again, if that sounds weird. But I need to know that I can handle these things on my own. I won't have a George Weasley by my side forever to take care of me, so I need to take care of myself. I hope you understand, and don't think I'm completely neurotic (though I wouldn't blame you if you did). As far as your father goes, I promise to keep him in my thoughts, and I'll be praying to Merlin for his recovery. I've attached a small card that you can put up at his bed side; I thought it could bring a bit of cheer._

_I'll send your gift, as well as Fred and Ginny's, by owl in a few days' time. _

_Best wishes,_

_Prudence_

I think the letter made the best sense that it could in spite of me withholding the real reason I wanted to lessen our time together. With a groan, I shoved my face into the pillow, thoroughly unsatisfied with the way my face sank softly into the feather pillow. Apparently an overly-comfortable bed was something money could buy.

* * *

"Thanks again for breakfast, Mrs. Dalton," I said politely as I set my cloth napkin down.

The shockingly blonde woman that was Noel's mother smiled warmly. Her teeth glinted in the sunlight. "Oh dear, it was nothing! And please, call me Christiana."

I jumped slightly as a house elf appeared out of nowhere and swept my dishes away. This was my third breakfast in the Dalton's large dining room, and still I wasn't used to being waited on hand and foot. I knew Hogwarts had house elves, but the only time I ever saw them was if I entered the kitchens.

"Noel, I thought you could show Prudence the trophy room today." There was something tense in the way that Mrs. Dalton laid her hands onto the table.

Sure enough, the strawberry blonde set her knife down with a loud clattering sound. The dish of honey trembled slightly. "Mum, I am _not _showing that to Prudence. What would it interest her for, anyway?"

If I hadn't seen the baby photographs, I would not believe that the two were related. They looked nothing alike, and seemed to have even less in common.

Mrs. Dalton's blue eyes sharpened as they set themselves upon her daughter, whose own brown eyes were filled with loathing. "Noel, you will not give me attitude under my own roof. I merely thought that Prudence would be interested to see what your main hobby was for the majority of your life."

"Oh, I would," I said eagerly. Mrs. Dalton smiled. Noel glared and stabbed her pancake viciously.

"Then it's settled," Noel's mother declared.

Noel shoved back from her chair. "Come on then, let's just get it over with."

With another quick 'thank you' towards Mrs. Dalton, I stood and followed Noel hastily out of the dining room. We wove through a long hallway adorned with paintings that were probably worth more than my education, then out into the foyer. We walked – well, in Noel's case, stalked – down the east wing of the house, which I'd yet to have a tour of. When I'd asked Noel about it earlier she'd rolled her eyes and told me not to ask stupid questions.

It was obvious there was much less foot traffic here; the violets that were placed strategically along the hall were wilted ever so slightly, and several of the portraits had a thin film of dust covering them. We came to a stop outside of a door of deep mahogany with a crystal handle, which looked extremely delicate. Noel wrenched it open and tossed the door to the side. I winced as it slammed into the wall.

Silver, gold, and diamonds twinkled at me from every direction, creating such a brightness that all I could see was the color white. I rubbed my eyes furiously. There were tiaras upon shelves, sashes hung along the walls, trophies as tall as me standing around the perimeter. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling…this possibly held more awards than the Trophy Room at Hogwarts.

"Oh," was all I said once my vision cleared. "You did beauty pageants?"

Noel's glower deepened and I fought the urge to snicker. "It was the only thing that got her to leave me alone. One pageant equaled a week of peace to do what I pleased. Plus it made her," her mouth twitched angrily, "happy."

"And that's a bad thing?" I really wished I understood Noel's relationship with her mother. When we'd arrived several days ago, Noel hadn't hugged her, and Mrs. Dalton looked like she'd expected nothing less. All of their interactions were tense, and it was obvious there was a lack of respect on both ends.

She sighed and focused on a particularly large tiara set in a glass case in the center of the room. "I spent my childhood living her life, not mine. I hated those stupid pageants. All the glitter and frills and girls trying to sabotage one another by tearing each other's dresses or stealing their answers for the question and answer portion…but I always used to think, just for a moment, how happy my mother would be if I won, and so I always tried my hardest and I would come away with the biggest trophy and the tiara and sash. And she would be happy, until the next pageant came along, and it would start all over."

"So you _did _want her to be happy, she just was never satisfied," I summed up. Once again I'd been too quick to judge her.

Noel nodded slowly. "She still tries to get me to sign up for them. She thinks she can bribe me with clothes or shoes, and she guilt trips me by saying there are so few things she gets pleasure out of these days... She hasn't realized that I've finally become my own person, though it's not for her lack of trying. If she had her way I'd be just like her."

I nodded slowly, allowing the silence to fill the space between us. "What are we going to do today? Besides look at your trophies, I mean."

Nearly as soon as we'd arrived on Saturday, Noel had dragged me out of the house and taken me to the local shopping district. Yesterday, she had reluctantly given me a tour before we spent the day holed up in her room watching a bunch of films that had come out while we'd been away at Hogwarts. Monday had been a combination of the two, followed by an extremely awkward meal with her parents, during which her father proceeded to ignore everyone at the table in favor of the messages he was receiving from his clients.

She shrugged. "I thought we could invite Lee over and we could bake some cookies for the homeless shelter or something. I'd invite the twins, but obviously they're busy."

"You're such a Hufflepuff," I teased, elbowing her as we made our way back into the hallway.

"Like you're not? I still remember third year when you bought Snape a Christmas present because you were afraid he wouldn't get anything," she replied with a raised brow.

My cheeks flushed. "It was just a potions book. And I'm sure he's completely forgotten by now."

"Right," Noel snorted, and the two of us burst into laughter that echoed across the walls.

* * *

Two hours later, the three of us were staring at a bunch of gathered ingredients on the kitchen counter.

"Erm…what do we do with them?" Noel asked, picking up and examining a bottle of vegetable oil.

I gave her a sideways glance. "You're the one who suggested it, I thought you knew."

"Well my mother isn't exactly the homebody type. You seem much more of that breed, so I thought _you _knew!"

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth at her words, instead choosing to look through the cabinets for a cook book.

Lee held up his hands. "Neither of you look at me, I can't even make proper toast. It either comes out still soggy or is burned to a crisp."

"Prudence, let me do it. Accio recipe!"

With a shriek, I fell to the floor as the cabinet door in front of me burst open and a large, red book flew straight at me. I slapped Lee's offered hand away and stood on my own, shooting seething glares at the duo.

"Sorry," Noel sniggered as she and Lee exchanged a look. The laughter continued for a long while. Every time one of them came close to sobering up, they would nudge each other and collapsed back into giggles.

I rolled my eyes and snatched the book out of her hands, flipping through it to find a suitable recipe. "Well, if we're giving it to the homeless, we'll have to have something that can be packaged individually. Wouldn't do to bring them a cake or a pie. Perhaps some gingerbread cookies? Or chocolate chip?"

Lee cleared his throat and straightened up. "Sure. Sounds great." He snorted another laugh.

Baking with the pair of them went something like this.

"Pass the butter."

Undefinable snogging sounds.

"I'll get it myself then – oh, you're actually on top of it. Guess I should get more."

Essentially, a lot of talking to myself. I was extremely grateful when Mrs. Dalton wandered into the kitchen to offer Lee a place at the table for dinner. They were forced to separate their lips, something I hadn't been able to finesse in the hour we had been together.

"Oh! Oh, well, that would be lovely Mrs. D but unfortunately as it's Christmas Eve, I should be getting home to my family."

Mrs. Dalton actually blushed slightly. When he wasn't speaking with Noel, he could actually manage to be quite charming. "All right, but I expect you back over here one night, at least, before you go back to school."

Noel's eye twitched. "Mum, could you stop flirting with my friends and just go back to styling your hair or something?"

"Noel, if you show even one ounce of this attitude at dinner tonight, you won't be getting any of your gifts tomorrow," she threatened. Even to me it sounded empty and desperate.

Noel must have thought so too, because she simply rolled her eyes and told Lee she'd walk him to the apparition point.

"Prudence, those cookies look wonderful," Mrs. Dalton said as she smoothed down her dress. "Am I correct in assuming you baked them on your own?"

I smiled slightly. "Yes…Lee and Noel were rather preoccupied. I hope these taste all right; I've never baked anything before."

She poured herself a glass of white wine. "Oh honey I'm sure they're lovely. You probably read the directions thrice over. Now, tell me about Noel and this Lee boy. Is she leading him on?"

"Oh!" I said, completely caught off guard. "Well…Noel has told Lee that she doesn't want anything serious. Lee just chooses not to believe it." Her eyes followed me as I removed another tray of cookies from the oven.

"That's my daughter. She keeps them on a leash. I just want her to settle down with a nice, respectable man. Lee seems like a fine young gentleman, although that's probably why she won't give him the time of day."

Slightly uncomfortable, I murmured a noncommittal response.

"Well, I should go see how the elves are setting the table in the dining room. They've probably put out the wrong forks…oh, and dinner's in an hour! I've left your dress and shoes out on your bed!"

With a wave and a cloud of perfume, she was gone. I grabbed one of the cookies and bit it anxiously.

* * *

Noel didn't come back for a long while, so I found some tin foil, wrapped the cookies, and stumbled my way round until I found the room I was staying in. No matter how long I stayed here, I doubted I would be able to navigate successfully.

Tonight and tomorrow we were having formal dinners, and as I didn't own any dresses or high heels, I was borrowing some of Noel's. It was a cranberry color, and stopped just above my knees. I'd never worn anything so short before. Actually, I'd never shown so much skin in front of other people. My father would never approve of something like this.

I slid the dress up my legs and over my torso, my skin breaking out in goose bumps from the chill it brought. I gasped at my reflection. I looked…stunning. I_ felt_ stunning. Eagerly, I stepped into the golden heels, three inches tall and the shortest that Noel owned.

Giddily, I took a few teetering steps towards the bathroom. Noel kept saying how much I'd changed since the start of the year. I honestly felt like I was different. But this was the first time I'd actually seen any change. I was smiling an honest to Merlin smile. I was dressed like a (slightly promiscuous) princess. Baring all this skin felt liberating. No wonder Noel did it so often. Was that a backhanded compliment?

She wasn't here to hear it.

Still smiling, I combed my hair back into a chignon and applied a light coat of mascara.

"Goddamn you look hot," Noel said as she breezed into the loo.

"I…kind of feel hot." A tinkering laugh escaped my lips.

Noel smirked. "Come on, my mum just called us for dinner. Hope you like escargot."

"What?!"

She snorted in laughter, somehow not managing to stumble despite trying to walk while doubled over. "I'm just kidding Prudence, Merlin! Like I would eat snails. We're having filet mignon."

"Oh…good." I smoothed down my hair, trying to maintain my dignity. Noel rolled her eyes but grinned, hooking her arm with mine.

* * *

"Oh my god, I've never eaten so much, not even at Hogwarts," I moaned as we dragged ourselves out of the dining room.

Noel winced as she took a step too quickly. "My mum likes the holidays. And feeding people."

After another five minutes of groaning, we finally made it upstairs, heels in hand. To be honest, I'd taken my shoes off about a quarter of an hour into dinner. Even sitting with them was uncomfortable. I had no clue how Noel wore them every day.

"I'll see you in the morning for present opening!" Noel said cheerfully as she turned into her bedroom.

I couldn't suppress my smile. There were at least ten parcels under the tree for me. The most I'd ever gotten was two, one from Nydia, my mother's old live-in nurse, and Cedric. After placing the shoes neatly by the door, I wandered into the bathroom and filled the large tub with warm water.

Maybe Noel was right. It wasn't bad that I had changed, right? If I hadn't, I would be miserable. I'd be all alone at Hogwarts, with no one to exchange gifts with. No one to speak with, no one to eat meals with, spending all of my free time in the library… I used to think that I preferred it over the company of my classmates, but after meeting Fred, George, and Lee, it was clear I was wrong. I was lonely and I was sad, and being alone did nothing but feed my fears.

Having friends by my side, people that I could trust only helped me feel more brave. I'd done things I never would have dreamed of 4 months ago. I'd stood up to Umbridge, stood up to Grace and Martin, joined the DA, and found out about my mother's past, something that had been burning at the back of my mind for fourteen years.

Feeling content, I dried off and slipped on my pajamas before climbing into bed. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

"So you think you can dress like a whore, huh?"

I gasped and whirled around, finding my father standing behind me, an empty bottle in his right hand. His breath reeked of alcohol and there was nothing but hatred in his hazel eyes, so similar to mine. I looked down. I was still wearing Noel's dress.

"No, Dad, this was just for dinner, it was formal-"

He took a step forward. I took two steps back. "Dinner with your new family. You couldn't wait to get rid of me, could you, and get rid of your mother. After everything I've done for you!"

"Done for me? Wha – you mean nearly putting me in the hospital? Ignoring every birthday, every holiday, leaving me to fend for myself, even when I was a child?" My stomach was gurgling, the familiar feelings of fear and anger licking at my insides.

Without warning, he threw the bottle. It barely missed my head, exploding behind me in a whirlwind of glass. I whimpered and backed up to the wall against my will.

"Damn ungrateful little bitch," he snarled. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, preparing, but I couldn't move. My eyes watched his flexed knuckles carefully.

"All you do is take. You take my money and run off to that goddamn magic school like the little coward you are. What is that degree going to get you, huh? You're pathetic, and don't even bother coming to me when you're living on the streets because no one will hire a freak like you." His words came out cold, almost detached.

I pressed my shaking hand to me mouth as he began to creep forward.

"You never learn your lesson, do you? Maybe I'll have to be a bit more clear," he grunted, and he lunged for me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, but as I felt the sting of his strength upon my face I began to fall upwards. I shot straight up, finding myself in a dark bedroom. I was fine. I was at the Dalton's. Everything was okay. My heart raced as I tried to untangle myself from the sheets.

"Prudence?" Noel burst through the door, flooding the room in light. "Is everything all right? I heard screaming."

Tears dripped down my face, mingling with the cold sweat that coated my skin. She climbed up beside me. "Just a bad dream," I murmured, shivering slightly.

She observed me for a moment, her brown eyes narrowed in thought. "I can stay if you want me to."

"Okay," I whispered after a moment's hesitation, and then she shut off the lights, pulling the covers back over the both of us. Within a minute she was asleep once again, her breathing steady, but my eyes remained wide open.

"Noel? Where are you? Time to open presents, darling!" Mrs. Dalton called from out in the hallway. I sighed, finally acknowledging the sunlight that spilled across the wooden floor

She groaned as I shook her awake. "Hey, Happy Christmas. Your mother's looking for you."

Noel eyed me blearily. "Why'm I in your room?"

"I had a nightmare."

"Oh yeah…" she forced herself out of bed and onto her feet. "Well, Happy Christmas. MUM! I'M IN HERE!"

I slapped my hands over my ears and gave her a dirty look as I pulled on a jumper and slipped my feet into my shoes. Noel walked out in her silk nightgown, her feet bare.

"Come on girls, it's time to open presents!" Mrs. Dalton said as she enthusiastically clapped her hands.

Noel rolled her eyes but pasted a fake smile on her face as we bounded down the steps. I guess even she had a tolerance for Christmas cheer, no matter its sincerity.

When we reached the foyer, my eyes expanded about three times the regular size. The house elves must have been busy while we were sleeping. Their Christmas tree now stretched up to meet the ceiling, gifts absolutely spilling from its base. There were stacks of boxes as high as me, taller even.

Tinsel dangled from seemingly nowhere, and holly and fairy lights floated gently around us. That, combined with the light flooding in from the large bay windows, made the room absolutely sparkle. Noel breezed past everything like she didn't even notice it and conjured a large cushion to settle herself on.

Somewhat awkwardly, I skirted around an elf carrying a tray of breakfast pastries and followed her lead.

Noel's father was kneeling in front of the fire place, talking fast and loud to someone on the other end. "No, I don't care if that's what he says, this is what _I'm _saying, Randy! Look, I have to go, my family's down here. Tell him if he's got a problem with it to talk to me, but not now! Later!"

Even without being able to slam a telephone down, Mr. Dalton still managed a very dramatic goodbye.

"All right!" Mrs. Dalton said in an obviously forced cheerful voice. "Let's get started! Prudence, the way we do it is we just separate the gifts into individual piles for each person, and we just rip right into them! We've had to be very time efficient to accommodate Pascal's job."

The look that she shot her husband was not kind.

Noel sighed and tossed her hair back as the presents began to sort themselves, most of which ended up in front of her.

I was thrilled at my haul. There was one from Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, two from Noel, one from Lee, a heavy parcel from Ginny, something from Luna, a large box from Angelina, Katie, Alicia, and Janice, something from Fred, and a tiny gift from George.

Casually glancing around and seeing no one was paying me any attention, I slipped the parcel from George behind me to open later. It had a letter attached that I wanted to read in private, and I was trying to ignore the sudden adrenaline rush.

The Daltons had gotten me a blanket that warmed itself based on my body temperature, Noel had gotten me a substantial gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts and a makeup kit (she sent a smirk at me as I opened it), Lee bought me a pair of earrings that Noel had certainly helped him pick out, Ginny gave me a book on defensive spells, Luna had sent some more dirigible plums along with a large box of toffees, the girls had sent me a box of girly things – nail polish, facial creams, perfumes – and Fred had sent me a Deluxe Skiving Snackbox along with a bright purple disclaimer.

Once I was done, I sat back and watched Noel open gift after gift. She had piles of silk dresses, suede heels, blouses that looked more expensive than everything I owned combined, bags of a soft leather, and jewelry with gems the size of England. She looked bored.

Suddenly, her face lit up. "Prudence, this is wonderful!"

I knew she would be receiving tons of materialistic things, and I wanted my present to stand out, so I had decided to make her a bag filled with things that reminded me of her, along with small scraps of parchment that explained why. My favorite item that I'd put in there was a shrunken book about wizarding politics. Her ambition was to become a stylist, but personally I thought she would be better in a position of power. She was far too intelligent to devote her life to fashion.

I blushed as she hugged me, scrambling up to eagerly show her mother. Mr. Dalton was scanning through a bunch of messages that a house elf had just delivered to him.

"Sorry to break this up, but Myron's having some sort of mental breakdown and he's locked himself in his hotel room."

I caught the flicker of disappointment in both Noel and Mrs. Dalton's eyes.

"Are you sure, Pascal?"

He planted a dry kiss on her cheek, already hurrying over to the fireplace. "Unfortunately. I should be back in time for dinner, but don't wait for me!"

All three of us were quiet for a moment, until finally Noel sighed and returned to opening her presents. Mrs. Dalton started organizing the elves to clean up the paper and ribbons, sniffing every so often. I sat there awkwardly as Noel opened more parcels of silky robes and lacey skirts, until her right hand grasped a small box wrapped in gold paper.

"Is…everything okay?" I asked.

Her face was whiter than I'd ever seen it. "This is from Dash." She paused for a moment. "Should I open it?"

"No!" I cried, making Mrs. Dalton jump. I apologized, blushing profusely, but tore the package from her hands. "Open this instead, it's from Lee, look!"

She made no motions to take the package from me, so I opened it myself. "Noel…he made you a mix tape. And he wrote you a poem."

This at least captured her attention. "What?"

"Here, read." I handed her the parchment, which was rather lengthy. As she scanned it I set about stacking my gifts up and placing them in a box to take back up to my guest room later. "Did you like it?"

Noel pursed her lips and sat back on her heels, letting the poem flutter to the ground. "I have something to do tomorrow, and I want you to come with me."

"Okay, sure. Where are we going?"

She tossed her hair back. Her cheeks had regained some of their color, and her brown eyes looked determined. "We're going to Stretton Manor."

* * *

**A/N: Hello all! Sorry, once again, for the wait. Horrible case of writer's block happening (although that may be because there were no Weasleys in this chapter!). This story has hit 5,000 reads! Thank you all so much, that's so incredible. Up next, Dash makes an arrogant reappearance, Prudence reads George's letter, the gang reunites, and Prudence finds her courage.**


	17. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!**

* * *

I stared at it. I stared at it for so long that the candle had burnt all the way down to a waxy stump. With a quick sigh, I stood and walked over to the desk where it lay. Steadying myself, I snatched up the package first, and with a swipe of my finger it was open. A tiny charm fell into my waiting palm.

It was a dove. A small, silver dove. It was stunning. Shaking now, I reached for the letter.

_Dear Prudence,_

_My father is okay. We managed to bring him home for Christmas, so he's a bit more cheered now. Mum's pretty chuffed though; he tried some Muggle fix called "stitches," and needless to say it didn't work. Listen, as far as the rest of your letter goes, I think this is something better discussed in person. Lee's going to meet up with Fred and I in Diagon Alley on Friday, and we're going to poke around a bit for a shop location, but I was thinking perhaps you and Noel could join us at the Leaky around 3 o'clock for a drink. How's that sound?_

_-George_

I dropped the parchment and placed the charm on top of it. Without another thought, I blew out the candle and fell into bed. Did I want to wear the charm, put it right next to Cedric's? Did I want to discuss this with him in person? There was nothing less I would rather do. I rolled onto my side and curled my legs into my chest.

The nightmares came tenfold. The lineup had changed ever so slightly: it went Cedric in the maze, my mother in the abandoned cabin, then my father, who appeared in different places each time. I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks. Out of desperation I'd done a bit of research on sleep habits and brain activity, and I discovered that guilt was often a trigger for night terrors. This fact did not make me feel any better.

Breakfast was rushed. Mr. Dalton did not make an appearance, and as soon as the toast vanished from my plate Noel snatched my arm and rushed me out into the foyer.

"Noel, would you quit acting like a psychopath? You can't go over there all worked up like this!" I told her grumpily as I rubbed my bicep. Her grip was surprisingly strong for someone whose only physical activity was shopping.

Her brown eyes were wild with anger. "Do you know what he bought me? He bought me _lingerie!_ He told me he couldn't wait to see me in it! Never mind the fact that he dumped me two years ago, never mind the fact that the last time we were…together…it was not by my choice. Never mind the fact that he put me through the worst situation of my life. He's just so – so – AGH!"

I winced at her high-pitched screech and grabbed her gently by the shoulders. "Noel, listen to me. He's doing this to get a rise out of you, and to test his limits. What would hurt him the most is to act like this has no effect on you whatsoever. You're going to go over there and pretend this means nothing to you. You're going to end it and move on with your life."

"You know what, you're right," Noel replied. Her eyes had returned to normal. She flicked back her hair and smoothed down her black dress. "Let's do this."

Part of me wanted to giggle because of her overreactions, but Dash had taken advantage of her and used her for so many years that his blatant disregard for her feelings infuriated me. Honestly, I was more worried about what I would do when I saw him than what Noel would do.

"Hold tight, he lives in Cambridge," she warned as I grabbed her wrist. Before long, the familiar sensation of being shoved into a tube the size of my pinky finger overtook me, and we reemerged on a gravel road that was surrounded by birch trees.

"Oh my…" my jaw dropped open as I looked up the winding lane towards an absolutely gargantuan mansion.

Noel rolled her eyes. "Stop gawking. And follow me," she snapped.

With a sigh, I traipsed after her, wrapping my jacket more tightly around me as the wind bit at my skin. It took us nearly ten minutes to reach the front door, which Noel promptly flung open, breezing past a butler who was waiting to take our coats.

"We're not staying, Reginald, thank you. I just have to drop something off to Dashiell."

That was his full name? I hastened after her, trying not to stare at all of the expensive art that adorned the walls. His house was five times what Noel's was, and I still got lost trying to find the loo there. Up the spiral staircase we went, all the way to the fourth floor. I was slightly winded when we finally stepped off. It looked like it went up another two flights. How much space did you really need? At least ninety percent of this manor must have been empty or unused.

Noel stopped and looked at me for a second before exhaling. "I can do this, right?"

"Right!" I offered her hand a quick squeeze before she steeled herself and made her way down the hall, to where the sound of a television could be heard blaring loudly behind a door decorated in Tornadoes memorabilia. Without so much as a knock, Noel strutted in with her chin up and her chest out.

Dash was sprawled across a king-sized bed watching old quidditch tapes, a bottle of whiskey in his right hand. I shivered and involuntarily took a step back.

"Nelly Belly, what a pleasant surprise!" he cried, attempting to stand. He stumbled slightly.

She squinted her eyes. "Hmm, drunk at eleven in the morning? I seriously dodged a bullet there. I came to return this, as well as this box of all the other things you gave me."

His blue eyes blinked as she shoved the packages into his arms. "You don't like the gift? I can exchange it. What do you want? Pearls? Diamonds? Sex toys?" His eyebrows waggled.

"Eurgh," Noel sneered. "I don't want anything exchanged. I've told you before but now I'll say it to your thoroughly pissed face. I want nothing to do with you. You're a terrible person with a superiority complex who thinks he can take whatever he wants and give nothing back. I've got much better people in my life, I'm in a good place, and I don't want you dragging me down."

Inwardly I cheered. Outwardly, I kept my gaze on the bottle, still in his right hand.

"Oh come on. Babe, we both know you'll never be done with me. We had the most _amazing _times together." His voice lowered an octave as he dropped the box on the ground and wrapped his free arm around her waist. She shoved him off in disgust.

"Like the times where you pinned me down? Where you got so mad about losing a quidditch match that I found myself pressing a bag of ice to my cheek, and looking up advanced healing charms? Where you took advantage of me time and time again? Yes, those were truly amazing," Noel spoke, her eyes spitting fire. This was the kind of look she usually reserved for Grace.

His face suddenly morphed into one of complete fury. "I gave you everything!"

Nervously, I stepped closer to Noel as he continued to yell. "I introduced you to people, I made you popular! You were just a pathetic fourth year when we met! By the time I left, you were one of the most sought after girls at Hogwarts! And why do you think that is, huh? Because of me! Because Dash Stretton wanted you, so everyone else did, too! You would still be nothing without me, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Clearly nothing I say is going to get through your deluded mind, so just keep thinking that I'm in the wrong and I'll get out of your hair." Noel looked like she'd swallowed something bitter.

The whiskey bottle smashed against the wall, narrowly missing her head, and I got a sick sense of déjà vu. Before he had the chance to move any closer to her, I stepped between them and stuck my wand between his eyes. "Listen up, Dash," I said quietly. "I've seen people like you use and abuse women to their advantage, just because they think they can. But the thing is, Noel is strong, and intelligent, and kind, and beautiful. She was fine before you, and she'll be fine now. I want you to think very carefully about what you're about to do, because I know some _very _powerful spells that could put a hole right through your pretty little head."

With that, I took Noel's arm and yanked her from the room, all but sprinting down the stairs and out the door. We reached the apparition point much more quickly this time, with the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"Prudence – Prudence, stop!" Noel gasped out finally. She was clutching at a stitch in her side.

It was only when I ceased to move that I realized just how badly I was shaking. "I'm sorry I – I don't know what came over me. That was – very abnormal. I've never threatened anyone before."

Noel looked vaguely terrified as she hunched over her knees. "It was kind of awesome, but…are you okay? I have _never _seen you angry before."

"I can't remember the last time I was that upset. Something in me just snapped," I murmured.

Without glancing back to the manor, she reached and grabbed my hand. "Let's go home, okay?"

* * *

"For the fifteenth time, you look amazing, now can we go?" I groaned. I was seated on Noel's bed watching her watch herself in the mirror. Once again she disappeared into her walk-in closet, and I had to bite my lips to keep from cursing.

Noel's voice was muffled. "I haven't seen Lee in a week, what if he's been spending his break with a Brazilian arse model?"

My eyes rolled so far back in my head that I could see my brain. "I highly doubt that. He's most likely been drooling over photographs of you. Besides, why do you care? He's just your snogging mate."

"I know, but I want him to become my shagging mate. It's been months since I've put my feminine wiles to good use. I miss it." She pulled her hair away from her neck and examined her navy blue sweater.

My cheeks flushed, the way they always did whenever Noel brought up the subject of sex. It just wasn't something I could discuss normally. "Well, you look very nice. Definitely, er, shagging mate-worthy."

"You tried," Noel said as she snorted in laughter. "All right, let's get on with it, then!"

The next thing I knew, we were right outside the familiar building with the chipped, brick walls and the rickety sign that squeaked every time the wind blew. A small bell rang as we pushed open the door, raising our hands in greeting of the old barman, Tom.

A smile spread across my face of its own accord as my eyes landed on Fred and George. I rushed over into Fred's open arms. "It's so good to see you! How's your father?"

"He's perfectly chipper," Fred assured me, ruffling my hair as he released me. I hesitated only a moment before embracing George as well. He smelled like pine and barley and his hands were warm against my back.

"Oi, where's my hug?" Lee demanded.

I sighed but wrapped my arms around him anyway. "I only saw you last week, Lee."

Noel was being oddly quiet. "Nice sweater."

Lee winked. "Some gorgeous red-head bought it for me."

"Fred bought you a sweater? Adorable!" George mocked with a wink.

Seeing Noel, Lee, and Fred's faces, I quickly suggested drinks, and ushered everyone to the bar. Lee happily took a seat beside Noel, and Fred beside him, leaving an open space between him and George. Did he just expect me to want to sit there? Sighing, I settled into it.

"What'll ya have?" Tom mumbled, hobbling over.

"Daisyroot Draught please," Noel spoke, still quiet. She was fidgeting with her top. I'd never seen her fidget before.

Lee exchanged a look with the twins. "2 firewhiskeys for the three of us each!"

Everyone eyed me expectantly. "Just gillywater for me, please."

"I forgot you don't drink, Prudence, that's no fun!" Lee booed.

George received his drinks but left them on the bar. "I take it you'd prefer to have this discussion before I put alcohol in my system?"

"Right," was all I said. _Even though I'd prefer not to have to discuss this at all._

He nodded his head towards the back door, which led to the opening of Diagon Alley. I wrapped my jacket more securely around my waist and followed him out.

"So," he said, leaning against the wall and tucking his hands into his pockets.

It hurt just to be this close to him. "I erm, really liked your Christmas present. Thank you."

His eyes flickered down to my necklace, just visible below my scarf. The dove charm rested between the book and the locket. "I can see that."

That hurt too. Was he doing this on purpose? "George-"

"My father says to thank you for the card," he cut in.

I blinked. "Oh…well, he's very welcome. I spent a lot of time in hospitals with my mother, and I just remember them as…static, and white. Not very welcoming."

"He was bitten by a snake."

"A snake? Where did he get bitten by a snake?" I asked, baffled.

George glanced around, as though to reassure himself of our solitude. "He was doing something for Dumbledore."

My mouth opened slightly in realization. "For the Order?"

"You know about the Order?"

I nodded. "It was something I discussed with Dumbledore in the meeting about my mother. I asked him if I could join."

"You continue to surprise me every day," he said with a wry grin. I didn't meet his gaze.

George straightened up. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"No!" I cried. I shut my eyes and took a breath. "George I haven't been very fair to you lately. There's been a lot going on, between Umbridge, and my mother, and just finding out all of these things…and I've been putting a lot of it on you. It's not very fair, and I should be able to handle these things on my own, because I won't always have you there to lean on."

"But you could," he joked. "Come on, I could be like your pet! I promise I'm house-broken. I'll be good."

In spite of myself, I laughed at the image of George walking around on all fours, waiting for me to come home from work. "That's not the point."

He nodded slowly. "I take it this has something to do with Cedric."

"I-" My mouth opened, then shut again. "I just want to be able to stand on my own. Because I think I can do it."

George smiled, not his typical goofy grin but a nice, soft smile that sent a flurry of happiness down my spine. "Then I shall be supporting you – from afar of course."

"So it's settled then," I said, suddenly nervous.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and began to lead me back indoors. "Sure is. Now let's get back in there before Noel ends up stabbing one of them with her straw."

* * *

"Whose idea was this again?" slurred a drunken Lee.

Fred, George, and Noel all pointed at me. "Prudence."

"Well, I suggested it before you all ordered that third firewhiskey," I said innocently, my brain clear and my coordination near perfect. "And you all agreed."

We trekked further north, dodging around a rotting tree whose branches threatened those who walked beneath it. I squinted; if you looked in just the right direction, you could see smoke rising from the stone chimney of my house.

"Where is this blasted lake?" Noel asked grumpily, shivering violently as the wind blew.

I took the lead, stepping over a log. "Just up ahead, beyond this clump of trees. See it?"

Fred, George, and Lee stopped abruptly, and Noel ran straight into their backs. "Phwoar…"

"I know," I said with a grin. The lake absolutely sparkled under the sunlight, and created a dazzling effect for those lucky enough to pass by. It was surrounded by snow banks and evergreen trees, and the crisp smell of the wintery air invaded my lungs with every breath. I'd missed this place.

"Noel, if you would do the honors." As I had not anticipated going skating over the holidays, I had left my skates at school, and none of them had their own pair. Noel, who was the best at Transfiguration, had offered to transfigure our boots into ice skates for the afternoon.

She shook her head slightly and pulled her wand out from beneath her shirt. Lee, half-pissed, tripped over his feet. I grinned happily as I looked down at my newly covered feet and delicately stepped onto the ice. It had been a full year since I'd last skated.

I pushed off and suddenly I was gliding across the pond, my hair whipping back behind me. I whizzed past my friends and went into a camel spin, reveling at the butterflies that exploded in my abdomen. For the next fifteen minutes I performed every jump and turn that I knew, gradually working my way up to doubles and even managing to toss two triple jumps in there. It was at the cheering and applause coming from my left that I remembered I hadn't come here alone.

"Sorry about that!" I said breathlessly as I skated over to them. They were still standing on solid ground. "It's just been a while."

George shook his head. "You should play quidditch! You were basically just flying without a broom."

Noel stared at me. "Yeah, where the hell did _that _come from?"

"My mother taught me," I said quietly. George caught my eye but I looked away. "So, who wants to get on the ice?"

After an hour, Noel was gleefully making her way round the pond as a helpless Lee stumbled after her, barely maintaining his balance. Both Fred and George were clutching onto me as I skated a simple path for them.

"You guys are doing pretty well!" I complimented them. "You haven't fallen in nearly five minutes!"

George glared at me, which caused him to slip and fall and take Fred and I with him. My back hit the ice and my legs ended up crushed beneath Fred's torso. I gave a tiny chuckle, and then suddenly my sides ached from laughter. This was the most fun I'd had here since my mother had brought me, on one of her rare lucid days. This was the most fun I'd had here in ten years.

A glance over at Noel and Lee showed them reenacting the end to the snowball fight; his hand was suspiciously low beneath her jacket and the smacking sounds echoed across the pond.

"Should we get up?" Fred asked, flopping over so he was now beside me.

George shrugged, his shoulders pressing against mine. "Nah."

We stayed for another hour or so, until the sky started to dim and our faces grew chapped from the blustering wind. With a wink, Noel grabbed hold of Lee and disapparated before I even opened my mouth to say goodbye.

"I think I'll be bruised on my arse for the next three weeks," Fred said with a groan, rubbing his tailbone.

"Good, that's for all the times you were a prat to me. Think of me every time you sit down." He made a face and huffed as I wrapped my arms around him, but ruffled my hair before he turned on the spot.

The air suddenly felt colder. "This was fun," he offered.

I shivered. "I'm glad I had friends to bring here."

For some reason, I always blurted out my thoughts to him, the things that I would never even say to Noel for fear of judgment. But I wasn't afraid around him. He was George.

"Friends who are glad to have you," he said with a smile. He tucked his hands into his pockets.

Unsure of myself after the events that had transpired today, I took a step forward. Then I took one more and placed my arms lightly around his neck, our chests just barely brushing against each other. I could feel his breath against my collarbone, warm in comparison to my skin. I released him and moved backwards three paces.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you on the train, then." There was a loud crack and I was alone.

I glanced in the direction of my house, my eyes following the trail of smoke that signified my father's presence. And then with a pivot of my foot it disappeared from sight.

The rest of the holidays passed surprisingly quickly. There was a large stack of assignments calling my name, and Noel had suddenly started coming to me for advice with Lee. Now that they had…been together, she claimed she needed to keep him entertained so he wouldn't lost interest. I tried not to shake my head, but it was clear the things that Dash had said and done to her had basically wrecked her opinion of herself, contrary to the front she put up.

I didn't see the twins again, although Fred sent me an owl telling me just how great the walkie-talkies I had given them worked. I had managed to change their frequency so they did not need electricity to work. Instead of running on batteries, they ran on magic; this allowed only the owner of the device to hear whatever was coming through it. I supposed I was inviting them to break even more school rules than they already were.

I also exchanged correspondence with Luna. I hadn't had a clue about what to give her for Christmas, so I had ended up taking some of the glass tulips Noel had brought me while I was in the hospital wing, charmed them to change colors every time they caught the light, and turned them into earrings. We'd been having a nice, albeit a little strained conversation ever since her thank you note. Her owl was a tiny, jet black thing with huge green eyes and a love for carrots. It had snatched one right off of Mrs. Dalton's plate when it had showed up at the window during dinner last night.

Lee had been coming over every evening, showing up at the apparition point around midnight and then flying his broom up to her window like something out of a fairytale. Noel would never admit it, but I knew it thrilled her. She'd been too preoccupied to so much as snap at her mother.

After they were done, he would sometimes rap softly on my door and say good night. It was very odd. I was pretty certain he just wanted someone else to validate that this was all happening in case someone at school wanted proof.

Tomorrow was the train back to school, and classes resumed the next day. I wasn't sure I was ready to go back, something I never thought I'd say, as Hogwarts had been the only welcoming environment I'd ever known. But the Daltons had more than been hospitable. They'd treated me like I was their own daughter, buying me presents and making sure I had all the supplies I needed for the upcoming months, doting on me – well, mostly Noel's mother. Mr. Dalton was kind too, though, and he was charming when he wasn't screaming into fire places.

I sighed as I observed myself in the mirror. I looked like a different version of myself as I pulled and prodded at my skin. The broad shoulders and stance of confidence were new. The boldness of my stare was unfamiliar. I didn't look like the meek, timid person I thought I had to be for so long.

My right hand wrapped around the necklace of its own accord as my gaze fell upon it, and my thumb stroked the familiar edge of the book charm. I was going to visit Cedric today.

It was something that I had decided to do before I went back to Scotland. Noel had told me where I would find his grave when I had brought the topic up as casually as I could. My stomach clenched in knots. I'd been unable to eat anything at breakfast; I'd barely choked down my tea. The Daltons were under the impression that I was doing school shopping today, the only kind of shopping that Noel would not want to do, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go alone.

The cemetery was right near a small wizarding pub that had a fireplace hooked up to the Floo Network, and I was grateful I would not need the Knight Bus. For the past two years I had taken that godforsaken vehicle to Diagon Alley for actual school shopping, but now that I could apparate I hoped never to ride it again.

Stepping as quietly as possible, I made my way to the parlor where the Daltons had a large, marble hearth. My sweaty palms grabbed a handful of powder from the pot and I tossed it into the fire, stepping in once the flames reached a suitable height. "Wolvercote Cemetery," I said as loudly as I dared.

I went spinning past grate after grate; the cemetery was in Oxford, a long way away from Noel's manor in Bath. I cursed as my toe slipped out of line and stubbed itself on someone's door. After about sixty seconds, the fire began to fade and I heard the sounds of clanking cutlery and smell of eggs and sausage.

I exchanged a nod with an old man in an apron who was walking past carrying at least eight dishes on his right arm and made my way out the door as quickly as possible. This pub didn't exactly have a white picket fence around it, and some of the patrons were eyeing me like I was their meal.

It was a beautiful day, something rare for England. There was no wind, no rain, no slush on the ground. It was dry and the sun was high in the sky, revealing the wall manicured lawn of a ginormous cemetery beyond the hill. There weren't many people walking about, although it was still early. Some people might still be sleeping, but I had always been a morning person. When I was younger I would wake up at six in the morning so that I would have proper time to read my books before I had to go to school, a habit I kept up even now.

This part of the country had minimal amounts of snow; Bath was absolutely buried in it, and Scotland was even worse. There was so much green still, even in the dead of winter. Cedric must have loved living here. It was beautiful.

As I approached the wrought-iron gate bearing the name Wolvercote, I dug my wand from my robes pocket. "Point me," I whispered, and it spun to my immediate right. I followed it east for a long while, so long that I actually began to perspire under the intense rays of light that rested on my shoulders.

I rounded a corner and found myself in a quiet, private section of the cemetery that had marble tombstones and expensive flower wreaths resting upon them. The Diggorys had an entire section for their family; I counted six graves in all, though Cedric's was by far the largest and best maintained. I found myself unable to approach it. A squirrel leapt out of a nearby tree and scurried across the ground by my feet, causing me to jump and gasp.

My heart was beating against my chest painfully. I forced myself to walk four more paces. I could read the engravings. 12 September, 1977 to 24 June, 1995. A shudder ran down my spine and I felt the familiar sting of tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.

Another step. Another shiver. "Why is this so hard?" I whispered to myself. I could picture what his body looked like as he appeared in front of the stands, Harry sobbing over him. He'd been stiff, his skin tinged slightly gray. I could still hear his father's cries ringing in my ears, and I wondered if the footprints in the mud belonged to him.

I knelt down on the ground about six feet in front of the tombstone, as close as I dared to get. "Hi Cedric," I began, feeling silly but also scared. "I miss you. I can't believe you're…not here. I still see you everywhere; in the Great Hall rolling your eyes at Patrick and Terrence having an eating contest, in Charms class bent over your notes and scrawling that chicken scratch of yours, on the quidditch pitch flying higher than everyone, so concentrated on finding the snitch. I think about you all the time."

My voice caught and I took a moment to gather myself. "I think there's something that I have to accept though. We were only ever supposed to be friends. If I dwell on the what ifs forever, I'll be miserable forever. But if there's anything you've taught me, it's that you better grab what's in front of you while you can, because nothing is guaranteed. And let's face it; we were great friends, but that was all. I don't even know if you thought of me as more than that but I loved you.

"I'll always love you. You're-" I caught myself. "You _were_ an amazing person. You put a smile on my face so many times when I thought I'd forgotten how. You curbed my loneliness. You fulfilled my quest for companionship. And you'll always be right here," I said softly, my hand finding my heart.

There were so many other things I wanted to say, so much more that I desperately needed him to understand, but my mind was moving too quickly for me to focus and my eyes were fast filling with tears, clouding my vision. It was all I could do to keep my quaking legs from giving out on me. Slowly I reached behind my neck and undid the clasp of the necklace. The charm slid into my waiting palm.

Using a determination I didn't know I possessed, I dragged my feet until I was right in front of the grave. I tried not to think about the fact that I was kneeling over Cedric's rotting corpse. "You should have this back," I whispered through tears. "Thank you." My voice was thick as I dug a shallow hole in the dirt, gently placing the charm into it. I stared at it for a moment, admiring the way the sun caught its light and the metal gleamed. Then in one swift movement I covered it, casting a quick charm to ensure it wouldn't be swept away. With one last glance at his grave, I turned on the spot and disapparated.

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**A/N: Hello all, I hope you liked the chapter :) So sorry it took me so long to get this up here, I've just been absolutely buried in work. Up next, Prudence returns to Hogwarts, Noel and Lee's relationship takes an interesting turn, and Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Drop a quick review and let me know your thoughts! **


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